David Osborn
20 November 2007
Last Wednesday, the East London Community Organisation (TELCO) held their 11th annual assembly at the Round Chapel in Hackney.
The LSE Students’ Union (LSESU), which has recently joined the organisation, attended with a delegation of undergraduate and postgraduate students. They joined other faith and civic organisations that make up TELCO, including trade unions, churches, mosques, schools and charities.
TELCO came together over a decade ago to address issues of social and economic justice in the East London area. Since then, the organisation has expanded and includes sister coalitions in South and West London as well as in Birmingham. During the evening, each member group was given an opportunity to briefly address the assembly.
The campaigns of TELCO were also featured throughout the evening. This included the Living Wage Campaign, which, with the help of LSE students, recently achieved a commitment by Citigroup to pay their cleaning staff the London living wage. Several employers, including Barclays, Macquarie and Pricewaterhouse Coopers were recognised for their commitment to paying their staff the living wage.
Another of the major campaigns that TELCO and its member organisations are involved in is the Strangers into Citizens Campaign. During this section, a young Brazilian man gave a moving speech about the uncertainties and difficulties facing illegal immigrants.
Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats’ Home Affairs Spokesperson and party leadership candidate, spoke of his party’s commitment to a policy of providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Clegg was questioned by co-chair Father Sean Connolly and pledged to meet with TELCO and to ensure that local Lib Dem politicians are working in line with this policy.
Following a performance of Brazilian music, the assembly launched TELCO’s Listening Campaign in preparation for the 2008 London mayoral elections. The campaign aims to reach out as widely as possible to both member organisations and community members to ascertain what issues TELCO should be supporting in the upcoming election. The campaign reflected the deep grassroots commitment of the organisation that was evident throughout the evening.
The Ethical Olympics Campaign and the Our Homes, Our London Campaign, which advocates affordable, community owned housing, were also featured. David Higgins, the Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority and Neale Coleman, the Director of Business, Planning and Regeneration for the Greater London Authority, were pressed by the co-chairs to continue their commitment to living wages and affordable housing.
Overall, the evening exhibited TELCO’s continued success at mobilising a diverse coalition of faith and civic institutions to work at a grassroots level for social and economic justice.