People Before Profit Alliance candidate Eamonn McCann has congratulated Derry postal workers for their victory against discrimination. Eamonn McCann said “the postal workers did everything
In a statement, Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance condemned the decision of the Labour/ Fine Gael majority in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council to vote against a motion calling for the re-opening of the recently closed Sallynoggin library as a full-time library with trained librarians.
Local Rep: Eamonn McCann Constituency: Foyle (Derry) Mobile: 048 7804 8244779 Address: 4, Shipquay Square, Derry Website: Click HERE
People Before Profit candidate for Mayor, Councillor Brid Smith condemns Dublin Bus’ decision to cut a 150 jobs and attack bus services by taking a further 90 buses off the road. These cuts, on top of the 120 buses that were cut from the fleet last year, will mean that Dublin Bus is operating at levels close to the 1980s. There are now just 970 buses on the road compared to 960 buses operating in 1989.
Brid Smith said:
“This is only the start of the attacks on jobs and services in Dublin Bus. While management claims these cuts will result in a more efficient service, the reality is that these cuts can only lead to poorer service and traffic chaos. Last year when they cut the buses they reduced the running time to squeeze in extra journeys, putting drivers under pressure to make the faster travel times. This led to journeys being dropped.
“These cuts are just the most recent in a long series of attacks on services and jobs in Dublin Bus. The real agenda of the company is to privatise this essential public service and allow private companies to cherry pick the most profitable routes and do away with concept provision to all.
“Just like last year it will be working class areas that will suffer the most as those who depend most on these services will again find that the axe will fall heaviest on their communities.
“The worse thing about these cuts is that they make absolutely no sense. Given the high levels of unemployment in Dublin it is ridiculous to impose these massive job cuts, voluntary or otherwise, on workers who operate such a valuable public service.
In a statement, Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance has said a special meeting of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co. Council due to take place next Monday 26th at 12.30pm will finally force Councillors to “pin their colours to the mast” on the issue of Sallynoggin library, which was recently closed down.
The special meeting has been called to deal with the huge back-log of Councillors motions that have built up over the last number of months.
The meeting will finally allow debate and a vote on a motion tabled by Councillor Boyd Barrett in January that calls for the decision to close the library to be reversed.
Over the last number of months Cllr Boyd Barrett has been involved in organising a campaign and protests against the library closure, following the decision of the Council to pass a budget in December that included the closure plan.
Cllr Boyd Barrett has condemned the government cut-backs and recruitment embargo that created a staffing crisis for the County library service but has also been sharply critical of the Fine Gael, Labour majority on the Council for singling out Sallynoggin library to bear the brunt of the cut-backs.
Cllr Boyd Barrett also has motions pending condemning the government’s recent budgets, cut-backs and the NAMA scheme and a motion relating to the future of Dun Laoghaire Harbour , which are also likely to be dealt with at the meeting.
Cllr Boyd Barrett said:
“This is a moment of truth for all the main parties in the Council. Now they will have to pin their colours to the mast. They have all tried to pass the buck of responsibility on the issue of Sallynoggin library since they agreed to its closure at the December budget meeting. Fianna Fail tried to blame Fine Gael and Labour, while Fine Gael and Labour said it was all the government’s fault. In reality, they are all responsible.
* ATTEMPTS TO RE-INTRODUCE DOMESTIC WATER TAX WILL BE VIGOROUSLY OPPOSED – WARNS ANTI-WATER TAX CAMPAIGN
* RESIDENTS WILL NOT PAY ON THE DOUBLE FOR GOVERNMENT INACTION
Responding to the announcement by Minister Gormley of his intention to implement water charges and meters as part what he calls a major investment in water infrastructure, campaigners warned that his plans will be met with a mass campaign of civil disobedience, the length and breath of the country, which will make the charge uncollectable.
Investment in water infrastructure has long been inadequate. Government starving of local authority funds are compounding the problem, and now the bill for their inaction is to be borne by hard-pressed residents. This will not be tolerated.
Half of the state’s housing stock has been built since we succeeded in abolishing this tax in the mid-1990s, yet precious little water conservation measures were put in place in terms of rain water harvesting or dual flush toilets. Now they want to introduce meters. This exposes the con, if this was about conservation, they would be investing far more and would be linking it with new building regulations, all meters do is to measure consumption, they don’t alter it. Their only purpose to commodify an essential public service and facilitate a direct charge. Workers and pensioners cannot afford to pay on the double. We all pay through our central taxation.
The investment in infrastruture upgrade announced by the Minister pales into insignificance to the €12 billion to Anglo Irish Bank, and the tens of billions that will be paid by the taxpayer to the other banks and NAMA.
A new Trade Union Branch of the People before Profit Alliance has been set up in Belfast. Rank and File members from Unite, NIPSA, NASUWT
The motion to have Crumlin, Sean McDermot Street and Coolock swimming pools recognised as stand alone pools in Dublin City Council policy was successfully passed
The Chief Electoral Office for the North has refused to intervene in the Derry postal dispute which may prevent free delivery of election material in the Foyle constituency.
Answering a letter from People Before Profit candidate Eamonn McCann, electoral chief Douglas Bain said that: “The entitlement of a candidate to have election literature delivered free of charge for postage is not a matter for which I have any responsibility.”
Mr. McCann said that he was “very disappointed” by the response.
Derry postal workers have voted not to deliver election communications because they have been offered less money for the job than workers elsewhere. Said Mr.McCann: “My argument to Mr. Bain was that the dispute put parties committed to trade union principles at a disadvantage and that this went against equality laws.
“We will not cooperate with Royal Mail’s plan to hire a private firm using casual labour to do the disputed work. I am now asking for an urgent meeting with Royal Mail management in Belfast to discuss the implications of their stance for the election in Foyle.
“If there is no change, we will refuse to have our material delivered under an arrangement which undermines the CWU workers. People Before Profit will be calling on other parties to join us in taking this stance.”
PBPA CALLS FOR BOYCOTT OF CONNOLLY SHOES UNTIL DISPUTE IS RESOLVED AND SACKED WORKERS ARE RE-INSTATED
In a statement today Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA) pledged his support for striking workers at the Connolly Shoes store in Dun Laoghaire , who are now entering their second week of strike action against the company and condemned as “shameful” the company’s treatment of its employees.
Workers at Connolly shoes in Dun Laoghaire were forced to take strike action after the company refused to comply with a Labour Relation Commission (LRC) ruling and subsequently intensified harassment of its workers and sacked two of them.
The two sacked workers have worked for the company for over 30 years each.
The dispute began when the son of the now deceased, long-time owner of the firm, took over the running of the company and sought to impose drastic cuts in pay and conditions on the workforce, while refusing to consult with them or talk to their trade union, Mandate.
The new owner imposed a 10% pay cut, reduced workers to a three day week, removed parking rights in the shops car-park, and simultaneously sought to increase significantly the employee’s workload.
While the workers accepted the inevitability of cutbacks and changes, they asked for some reasonable consultation on how these could be implemented, which the Company’s owner point blank refused.
The Company has since refused to pay monies owed to the employees as adjudicated by the LRC and in a clearly vengeful manner imposed further changes to conditions and subsequently sacked two of its longest-standing employees.
A protest calling for the re-opening of Sallynoggin public library will take place today at 5pm outside the April meeting of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council. This follows the decision to of the Council to close the library just before the Easter break.
It also follows the recent announcement by the Impact union that represents the library staff in the Council that they will not co-operate with the Council’s plan to establish a volunteer-run book service in Sallynoggin as a substitute for a library run by trained librarians.
Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett and Hugh Lewis of the People Before Profit Alliance will attempt to raise the issue with an emergency motion calling for the re-instatement of the library.
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