Blocking the TRIPS waiver In October 2020 India and South Africa submitted a proposal to the TRIPS Council of the World Trade organisation for a waiver of certain intellectual property rights for covid-19 vaccines. The Council for Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, to give the TRIPS its full name, polices and upholds corporate
Tag: COVID-19
Covid: living with it
On February 21st 2022, Boris Johnson announced the end of most Covid restrictions in England. A few days later, on the 24th, whatever domestic legal restrictions were still technically in force disappeared (most had long since vanished in practice) and our rainy island became the West’s first Great Experiment in just y’know, letting things happen.
The exploitation of mental health advocacy during the pandemic: a retrospective
There seems to be a fairly obvious hole in mental health advocacy and awareness. Whilst there has been a welcome (if only recent) change in public attitude towards conditions like anxiety and depression, other conditions —from eating disorders, to psychotic illnesses, to personality disorders— have been largely ignored. Not only that, but the discourse around
Notes from the US
Freedom’s long-running US correspondent Louis Further does his monthly roundup of some of the lesser-known stories that have emerged over the last few weeks. The grip of the Trump cult continues to grow in many areas of political (and social) life in the United States. Also growing are the number of states abandoning mask mandates
Migrant cleaners at London Bridge Hospital whistleblow on Covid safety violations and launch campaign against HCA Healthcare
Outsourced migrant workers from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) who clean at London Bridge Hospital launched a campaign for fair pay and equality yesterday. They also report endemic bullying, harassment and a slew of serious health and safety violations over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mariana Blanco*, Cleaner, said: “We feel
London: Dalston delivery drivers to protest Hackney Mayor over lack of safe waiting areas
Dalston couriers working for app-based firms Deliveroo, UberEats, and JustEat are protesting tomorrow, 20th January, after being forced to wait for orders in all weather at Bentley Road car park, a current COVID testing centre with no shelter or toilets. The riders will assemble on Ashwin Street E8 3DL at 4pm and from there ride
SOAS Justice for Workers rota dispute victory news
Last Monday 18th Oct, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)’s cleaning team won a rota dispute with university management after threatening to take strike action. Early last week, it was confirmed that their version of the rota will be implemented starting next week and this victory comes as one of many in the
Cleaners win back stolen wages after protesting in London Elizabeth Hotel lobby
Cleaners at London Elizabeth Hotel have won back £4,733 furlough wages they were denied by outsourced cleaning company Pridegreen after protesting on 2 October. One cleaner, Miluska, was denied five months wages by the company while it continued to claim public money from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). On 2nd October, cleaners staged a
Cleaners protest outside London Elizabeth Hotel over withheld furlough wages
Last Saturday, cleaners from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) protested outside of the London Elizabeth Hotel in Hyde Park after the London Elizabeth Hotel and outsourced company PRIDEGREEN repeatedly failed to pay them their furlough wages. One cleaner, Mildre was forced to resign in May 2021 due to the lack of payment.
Notes from the US: Disinformed and dying
This month’s missive again concentrates on the worsening situation in the country as a result of resistance and refusal to follow public health guidelines mostly inspired by disinformation and partisan lies in response to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic. Most metrics are now consistently at their highest since the pandemic’s inception in January last year. Environment