Shame on SERCO

Detainees at Yarl’s Wood detention centre in the families wing have been on hunger strike now for over a week (since the 15/06/09). The families were subject to a brutal assault by SERCO staff on the 17^th of June in an attempt to end their protest. Some of the detainees were hurt, including a baby who was stepped on by the guards. The men involved in the protest were taken away and a family has since been separated. In another wing called Dove Wing over a hundred women staged a two day hunger strike last week in protest at the way they are being denied basic legal rights.

The detainees involved in this brave struggle urgently need support and encouragement from the outside world. Please take a few moments to send a message, however long or short. Such messages are an important way we can let the detainees know that they are not alone, that there are people on the outside who are paying attention to their struggle and that they are not isolated. It would be especially good to receive stories of resistance to immigration controls and positive stories of struggle from your local area could be sent.

Please send your messages to: londoncoalitionagainstpoverty@gmail.com

The hunger strikers demands are:

1) Relocate a 30 year old woman with epilepsy. She is not receiving medical attention and suffers from convulsions constantly. She is lying on the floor most of the time. The other inmates don’t help her as they do not want to make a fatal mistake.

2) Resolve the situation of a 5 months pregnant woman, who was arrested two months ago and who is extremely sick. She stays in bed all day and does not receive medical attention.

3) Resolve the situation of almost 20 children (between 5 months and 2 years old). They are with their mothers and able to play with other kids, but they are showing clear signs of tension, pressure, distress and anxiety. Some women have been detained for more than two months and the children can’t understand the situation.

4) Talk to the Immigration Officer, Sarah (no surname supplied), who must listen these requests. (Sarah’s name was suggested by the Serco’s manager).

5) Adequate access to health care, quality food and real privacy.

6) Restore the communications between Juliette Umoru and her husband Steve, who is not allowed to talk to her.

Show your solidarity with the strikers. Take 20 minutes to do the following:

* Contact SERCO (who run Yarl’s Wood) and demand that the strikers’ demands are met – (0)1344 386300 – homeaffairs@serco.com

* Contact Yarl’s Wood and demand that the strikers demands are met: The duty manager 01234 821517; The switchboard 01234 821000; Health’care’ 01234 821147

* Contact Alaister Burt MP for Yarls Wood – burta@parliament.uk

* Forward this news to any email lists you are on or press contacts you have

* If you can donate towards credit for detainees’ mobiles or travel costs for solidarity visits, email feminist.fightback@gmail.com

Then began the story of working with the union, the Latin American Workers Association and London Coalition Against Poverty. So thanks to my friends and the union, we won this fight and I was paid over £1000 that I was owed. Then I found out that hundreds of people were experiencing exactly the same problem as me.

But those who I spoke to were afraid to speak out and told me they’d rather keep quiet. This exploitation is based on the fact that people will keep quiet. But despite my employers’ threats of calling the police etc it was important not to be afraid. I said to these people it is necessary to protest and not to be afraid. It is possible to stand up to them and it is possible to fight them.

I decided to get involved in helping people who had the same problem as me. I told them the same had happened to me and nothing bad had happened.

When a company is exploiting people like taht because they are the weakest we shouldn’t keep quiet, we should shout it loud so that people open their eyes and realise what is happening.

When I get out of here, by which I mean going back to London not Chile, (though I guess I’ll get out either way), I’ll go and continue talking to people about it just as I did before I was arrested by the police.

I’ll tell people my story and what’s happened to me because it was the management of this company who told the police my address. I am writing my story now to share it even from the detention centre. I have been interviewed by the radio, national newspapers and a Latin American paper – they all said I was brave. many people are phoning because they know I’m willing to talk and will speak out.

If the same thing happens to you as it did to me, you should confront these people and if you need support, you should go out and get it. There are organisations that can represent you, like in my case, and unions. Don’t take threats and don’t be afraid of threats that companies like this make when they are not paying people properly. Good luck and I hope you don’t get caught by the immigration police like I was.

Send this writer messages of solidarity via Feminist Fightback.