News from NEF: Black Lives Matter, Patients Not Passports, redesigning taxes

Jay OwenGlobal Citizen

At NEF we offer our solidarity to all the protesters demanding an end to racist police violence, and to everyone calling for a genuine investigation into the disproportionately high levels of Covid deaths among Black people. We particularly recommend this article for Vice by Ayeisha Thomas-Smith, host of our Weekly Economics Podcast: How the George Floyd killing is just as relevant in the UK, and what you can do about it. We’ve compiled some additional resources and suggestions for reading here.

Migrants’ access to healthcare during the coronavirus crisis
Our new report with Patients Not Passports, Medact and Migrants Organise reveals the full impact of Hostile Environment policies on the health of BAME and migrant communities.

Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
We need systemic change to protect the lives of BAME communities, writes Nilufer Erdem.

Redesigning tax for a just, green recovery
The UK’s tax system promotes inequality and fails to prevent environmental degradation. Here’s how we can change it, write Sarah Arnold and Adrienne Buller, launching our new project with Common Wealth.

Making up for lost time
Our new report, published with CSEU, draws out the lessons of eight places where workers have won shorter hours.

Working hours and the Covid crisis
The latest issue of the European Network for the Fair Sharing of Working Time newsletter surveys the impact of the crisis on working patterns.

Video: The Minimum Income Guarantee – a safety net for all
This short animation explains how we can support everyone during the pandemic.

NEF’s Zoom briefings are taking a short break, but you can watch the whole of the last series here. In the meantime we recommend IWGB’s online workshop on “Organising in the midst of a pandemic”, featuring NEF senior organiser Rebecca Winson and special guest speaker Jane McAlevey. It’s on Mon 8 June at 7pm BST. Details here.

Migrants in UK fear charges for NHS virus treatment, say charities
Channel 4 News covers our report with Patients Not Passports, Medact and Migrants Organise.

After coronavirus, it’s time to reduce the working week
Previous crises have led to wholesale changes in the world of work, and coronavirus can be no different, wrote Aidan Harper in Tribune.

‘We’re being used to make a profit from during a pandemic’: Thousands of London tenants refuse to pay rent amid coronavirus crisis
NEF’s rent suspension proposal was mentioned in the Independent and Left Foot Forward.

Coronavirus has shown that care workers deserve a real living wage
Research from NEF and the Living Wage Foundation on low pay in the care sector featured in a piece for Times Red Box.

Unions are putting ?‘work-life balance’ back on the agenda
NEF’s report with CSEU, looking at places where manufacturing unions have successfully won shorter working hours, was covered in Left Foot Forward.

One more thing…
NEF is supporting We Own It’s call to end Serco’s role in contact tracing in England, and to put local public health teams and local health services back in charge. Sign the petition here