People Before Profit

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.

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.

* 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 and SIPTU came together to commit to building a People before Profit Alliance initiative in the Trade Union movement.

There was general agreement on the need for a political campaign against the upcoming public sector cuts which will see thousands of public sector jobs lost and the decimation of our frontline services.

To that end the Trade Union branch of the People before Profit Alliance will be arguing that the money is there to fund jobs and services in the Public Sector. That the proposed £700 million worth of cuts is unnecessary and that workers should not bear the brunt of cuts because of the billions wasted on bank bailouts or the Assembly's commitment to neo-liberalism. The branch agreed to circulate a leaflet at the union activist meeting hosted by ICTU on the 14th April.

Beyond that the branch moved a motion of support for Eamonn McCann's candidacy in the Foyle constituency of the Westminster Elections. The branch will be organising support for the campaign in upcoming weeks.

For details: 0044 79 497 497 81

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 last night with a clear majority and great support.

Save Our Swimming Pools protest Dublin City Council 12th April 2010 from Paula Geraghty on Vimeo.

Thanks to everyone who turned up at the protest beforehand, the turnout was great.

We still have a battle on our hands. The body language and the response from the City Manager was still negative, he stated that there was very little money and it was likely that the Council budget could be cut by a futher 500 million Euro.

What we have to do as a campaign is get 100's of people to go to Sean Ardagh’s and Michael Mulcahy’s clinics, lobby for the monies, meet with the workers, advertise the hours that the pool is open, make it impossible to close the pools down. Keep up the pressure.

The local campaign will meet again soon, I will keep people posted.

By Cllr Joan Collins (People Before Profit Alliance, Dublin City Council)

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.”

Eamonn McCann, People Before Profit candidate in Westminister elections, speaks in Dublin. from Paula Geraghty on Vimeo.