Casualisation Kills

Earth First activists united with the Simon Jones memorial campaign and our old friends the Liverpool Dockers last month holding actions in memory of Simon Jones and in celebration of his life.

Simon was an activist who was hassled off income support. He joined Personnel Selection; an employment agency, which found him work first as a binman and then with Euromin on the docks of Shoreham Harbour. This is one of the most dangerous jobs in Britain and Simon went to work with no experience, no training and no hard hat. After 2 hours work a crane crushed his skull. Simon’s work mate and witness to his death was ordered to clean rubble bags, worth £5, which had been stained with Simon’s remains so that they could be sold. When he refused he was sent home without pay.

The 1st of September this year would have been Simon's 25th birthday and it was marked by an action on the Euromin docks. Over 40 activists occupied the docks, and brought work to a halt. Banners were hung from the 68ft lighting rigs reading 'Casualisation Kills' and 'Simon Jones RIP'. A local gran served the activists coffee and doughnuts while the workers were all sent home on full pay. A Liverpool Docker who had taken part in the action described the day as a brilliant success.

Two days later the Personnel Selection offices in Brighton were occupied. Phone calls were answered by protesters who informed the callers that the agency was closed due to incompetence. Major clients were informed that the company had collapsed. A banner reading 'Murderers' hung from an office window over a main road while passers by were given leaflets explaining the occupation. After two rounds of negotiations Personnel Selection agreed to shut the offices, send the workers home on full pay and display a notice on the front door reading 'Due to an occupation these offices have been closed'.

The situation surrounding Simon's death is by no means unique. Deaths and major accidents, such as limb loss, at work are regular occurrences with only 1 in 20 of these being investigated last year. Casualisation and dangerous working conditions are issues which effect us all and which should be resisted by us all.

The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign has already embarrassed a Labour minister into promising legal reform. It continues to network and to actively resist the conditions responsible for these tragedies and the capitalist system which creates them.Simon Jones Memorial Campaign, PO Box 2600, Brighton BN2 2.DX 01273 685913.