Edinburgh Unemployed Workers' Center
location 103 Broughton St., Edinburgh
Tel. (031) 557-0718

mail address: 

11a Forth St.,
Edinburgh Scotland

We are the only broad based autonomous centre in Scotland & we are in danger 
of being shut down. Our lease has expired, but we are occupying the building 
24 hrs/day to confront the threatened eviction. We ask @ists and others to:

- Visit us if you can
- circulate info about us in your zines and by word of mouth
- send letters acknowledging solidarity

The Centre is open M-F (everyday during this situation) 12-4 and offers

- cheap vegan cafe
- space for community and political groups (theatre group, earth 1st, hunt 
  sabs, etc)
- advice/support on benefits (welfare), and avoiding VATax, and poll/council 
  tax, etc.
- childrens playroom
- info shop

Brief History

- 1981 Centre founded as Labour party charity during 1st wave of mass 
  unemployment
- mid-late 1980s: Centre sees an influx of independents: Claimants union, 
  anti-work folks, anti-poll tax axctivists. This leads to 2 strands:Labour 
  hacks and independents.
- 1990 Lothian Regional Labour Council withdraws funds because of anti-poll 
  tax activities.  Official reason is "lack of funds". Centre continues with 
  all volunteer activists.
- 1991 The 7 trustees for the center are 4 independents and 3 Labour hacks. 
  Labour hacks enter the building, change the locks, & close the bldg to the 
  public. A couple of days later, independents reenter bldg and reopen centre. 
  Shortly thereafter, Labour hacks break in and under the eye of the police, 
  steal $40,000 worth of equipment. They also freeze the centre's $16,000 bank 
  account. Centre continues to run anyway.
-1994 February Labour Council inspects bldg and issues fabricated report that 
  bldg is a fire trap and the kitchen is unhygienic. Centre volunteers get bldg
  inspected, prove the Labour hacks knew it was a fraud and force them to 
  publically admit that they were lying.  During this time centre workers talk 
  to Community Council which agrees to ask for the lease and keep the centre 
  functioning as a collective.

June 14 Lease expires, occupation begins (squatting is completely illegal in 
Scotland)

June 28 Labour COuncil meets to decide on lease issue, but Convener Brian 
Cavenaugh, who hates the centre, refuses to bring the issue up until centre is 
vacated.

June 29 3 police show up at the door claiming to have received a bomb threat. 
We have barricaded the door and tell them we won't let them in. They go away. 
It is possible that the bomb threat had nothing to do with the council, but 
who knows.


