People Before Profit

UNITE workers from across the financial sector staged a protest at Dáil Éireann at lunchtime today as anger mounts over the lack of action and apparent interest from government at the plight of Bank of Scotland / Halifax workers who have been told that 750 jobs are to go.This is the first time a retail bank has closed in Ireland and the first time that compulsory redundancy notice has been served on Irish workers in the financial sector.

The protest, which took place from 1pm, will culminate in delivery of a letter to an Taoiseach Brian Cowen, demanding a response to the workers alternative proposal for the government creation of a third banking force. This proposal was sent to Cowen and Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan on February 8th but no response has yet been received.

In the final analysis, our government should be judged by the way it treats children and the elderly. Long hospital waiting lists, schools in substandard buildings, high rates of child poverty, cuts to children's allowance, social welfare and pensions, abolishing the bin charges waivers.... The list goes on.

Mary Hanafin’s latest plan to punish pensioners is indeed part of a pattern.

Hanafin’s scheme will:
* Force everyone who is currently under the age of 49 to work until they are 68. No state pension will be provided until this date – so we can starve, beg or work despite tiredness and ill health.
* Reduced state pension for anyone who do not have 30 years of PRSI payments. If you have lived abroad or have been out of work for long periods, you will face difficulties.
* Reduced occupational pension for anyone entering the public sector. Instead of getting a proportion of your final salary, your pension will be brought down by the number of years you spent on lower wages.
* Forced contributions by workers to the private pension industry. Workers will be ‘auto-enrolled’ into an industry that rips them off and uses their savings to speculate and gamble. Even if you withdraw from a scheme, you will be automatically enrolled every two years and if you forget to withdraw within six months you lose your contributions.

Last night Dublin City Council voted overwhelmingly to save Cedar House Homeless Unit. The Council is now seeking that the Homeless Agency reverses its decision to close the unit.
Cedar House provides services for up to 50 men per night and up to 50 men and women per day.
Services provided include: emergency accommodation, counselling, methadone maintenance programmes, personal development programmes, educational programmes, doctor/nurse access, life skills programmes, key workers, day drop in centre providing shower facilities, clean clothing, bedding and food.

The motion said:
“This Council condemns the proposed closure of Cedar House Homeless Hostel in accordance with the strategy of the Homeless Agency, “Pathway to Home”. We demand that this unit remains fully open and continues the provision of services to homeless people in our city until such time as alternative and adequate housing alternatives are put in place. An essential 20 bed dormitory is due for closure by 30th March 2010 and no adequate alternative has yet been identified and communicated. 30 individual rooms and all other services are due for cessation by 30th September 2010.”

In proposing the motion People Before Profit Councillor Brid Smith said:

Keep Cedar House Open! Save the Homeless Services at DCC from Paula Geraghty on Vimeo.

Campaigners against water charges in the North are preparing for action as the Executive parties hint they might renege on pledges made before the last election.

A consultation document from Stormont in January made three mentions of water changes as a possible means of raising revenue. None of the mainstream parties has intervened to rule the possibility out.

In response, Communities Against the Water Tax (CAWT) has begun organising again.

NORTHSIDE residents packed out a public meeting last week to vent their anger over Government plans to introduce water charges.