Week of ‘Protest and Solidarity’ held across Europe

Written by Paul Murphy, Brussels Office of Joe Higgins Wednesday, 30 June 2010 14:10

Make ETUC 29 September "Day of action" decisive workers’ mobilisation

Following the call by sixteen MEPs from European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament, and initiated by Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party (CWI in Ireland), protests and activities took place in many countries across Europe last week. Although mostly modest in size, the breadth of these actions actively point in the direction of what is needed - mass European-wide protest and industrial action to resist the attacks of governments and bosses across the continent.

No cuts to public services - Letter of Support

Written by website admin Wednesday, 23 June 2010 12:48

Letter of Support
We the undersigned wish to record our complete opposition to the massive cuts being implemented and planned from Westminster and Stormont. To mark this opposition we urge people to join a protest in Belfast from 5-6pm on 24 June outside the European Commission offices on the Dublin Rd to coincide with a European-wide week of protest and solidarity.

Across Europe, workers are facing huge attacks on living standards. However, cuts are not inevitable. From Greece to Spain and Portugal, workers are beginning to fight back. Locally, workers are confronted with a tsunami of cuts. Since the current Executive was formed, cuts or “efficiency savings” as our MLA’s prefer to call them have been implemented every year across all Departments. These cuts have already led to job losses and a severe increase in workload for workers providing much needed services. Our health service is creaking under pressure from years of underfunding. The latest round of cuts announced by the Executive has already led to the closure of A&E services at Mid-Ulster and Whiteabbey hospitals. At the same time ambulance provision is being cut. This will lead to unnecessary deaths.

Cuts are being felt across all public services. The closure of schools and further & higher education campuses combined with threats to raise university tuition fees means education will no longer be an option for the thousands of young people joining the dole queue.

It is estimated up to £35 billion could be cut over the coming five years across the UK. The impact of these cuts will be devastating for working class communities who depend on public services, especially in Northern Ireland. Swinging cuts to the public sector will also lead to further job losses in the private sector.

The blame for the budget deficit does not lie with public sector workers and working class people. The fault is to be found in the boardrooms of the financial institutions, of the banks, of unelected hedge fund managers and of the speculators who made obscene profits gambling on the stock markets. In 2008/09 alone, £109.5 billion was given away to the banks to save their hides. The wealthy continue to live in luxury after being bailed out, yet it is working class and young people who are expected to pay the price. There must be a determined organised fight to oppose the cuts and protect workers jobs, services and living standards.

Yours sincerely,
Jim Barbour, Fire Brigades Union
Maria Morgan, NIPSA (personal capacity)
Frank Bunting, INTO
Pat Lawlor, Unite/Amicus Royal Hospitals Belfast (personal capacity)
Tommy Black, Socialist Party
Paddy Lynn, Workers Party

Trade unions back Protest Against Public Service Cuts

Written by website admin Wednesday, 23 June 2010 12:44

PROTEST - NO CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES
5-6pm Thurs 24 June European Commission Office, Dublin Rd, Belfast

Trade unionists today spoke out against the Budget cuts to public services at a press conference in Belfast to promote a protest against cuts on Thursday 24th June.

Gayle Matthews, speaking on behalf of the Public and Commercial Services Regional Committee, stated

"We are deeply concerned that the government is trying to rail road the public into believing a short-term attack on the public sector, when there is a real risk it could further hirt the economy and our communities. Forcing down the living standards of low paid workers, whether in the private or public sector, and hurting the poorest in society will undoubtedly make matters worse.

"We are committed to working with other trade unions and community groups to campaign against the Governments programme of cuts and we will be supporting the protest on 24th June."

Kevin Smith of the teachers union INTO added

"We are very concerned that children will suffer as a result of savage cutbacks to departmental budgets. In Northern Ireland education has already sustained serious cutbacks-the full effects of which have yet to be felt. This budget and radical proposals for the 2011-2014 Comprehensive Spending Review in the Autumn are likely to cause acute distress to teachers and public sector workers. For this reason INTO is supporting the protest against cuts on Thursday 24 June outside the European Commission Office, Dublin Road, Belfast from 5 to 6 PM."

Jim Barbour from the Fire Brigades Union also called on workers to join the protest

"It is crucial that workers prepare to resist these cuts. The trade union movement together with local communities need to answer the Tories lie that 'we're all in this together'. The fact is this Budget is an assault on workers and the poor, but the wealthy stockbrokers and the rich who should be paying for this crisis are taking no hit. The Fire Brigades Union will be at the protest standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow workers against these cuts."

Those supporting the protest now include: Fire Brigades Union, I.N.T.O. (Northern Region), Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Socialist Party, Workers Party, Communist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Organise, Cliftonville Regeneration Community Forum, Lower Castlereagh Community Group, Save Mid-Ulster Hospital, We Won't Pay Campaign, Youth Against Racism, plus many individual trade union activists.

Protest against cuts to hospitals, schools and vital public services

Written by Paddy Meehan Tuesday, 22 June 2010 11:00

A protest has been called on Thursday 24th June from 5-6pm outside the European Commission offices on the Dublin Rd in Belfast to oppose the cuts to public services to be announced in this weeks Budget.

Trade unions back Protest Against Public Service Cuts
Read more...

Letter of support from unions and political parties
Read more...

Protest against cuts to services

Written by website admin Sunday, 06 June 2010 18:17

EUROPEAN-WIDE WEEK OF PROTEST & SOLIDARITY - BELFAST PROTEST
NO CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES

Protest: 5-6pm Thursday 24 June
European Commission Office, 74-76 Dublin Rd, Belfast

ENDORSED BY: FIRE BRIGADES UNION - I.N.T.O. NORTHERN REGION - SOCIALIST PARTY - WORKERS PARTY - ORGANISE - SAVE MID-ULSTER HOSPITAL - WE WONT PAY CAMPAIGN - YOUTH AGAINST RACISM plus many others

NO CUTS TO BAILOUT THE BANKS - DEFEND JOBS, WAGES & SERVICES

For more information contact Gary Mulcahy on 07743282321

Stop the closure of Mid-Ulster A&E

Written by Administrator Thursday, 20 May 2010 12:38

Protest against the closure of Mid-Ulster A&E

7pm Friday 21st May
Bridewell Centre, Broad Street, Magherafelt

Join the Facebook group here

May Day 2010

Written by Administrator Monday, 26 April 2010 14:08

MAY DAY 2010
March Against Cuts and Privatisation! March for a Working Class Alternative!
March with the Socialist Party!

Assemble 11am, Sat 1st May, Writers Square, Donegall Street, Belfast

The annual May Day march organised by the trade union is taking place in Belfast this Saturday. May Day is an international celebration of the struggles of the labour movement. Trade unionists and working-class activists come together from across the North in the largest annual workers' demonstration.

The Socialist Party will be participating in the march and putting forward our alternative to the job losses, wage cuts and attacks on services which all the main parties in Britain and Northern Ireland are united around, determined to make working-class and young people pay for the bosses' economic crisis.

The march ends at the Arts College Square, where there is a festival with music and a bar and the Party will have a stall. Come along and march with the Socialist Party!