Rights in Recesssion - Irish Congress of Trade Unions
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Transcript Rights in Recesssion - Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Pamela Dooley Vice Chairperson ICTU NI Committee and UNISON
•Equality and Rights under
greatest threat at time of
recession
•Commitments in Good Friday
Agreement largely ignored by
politicians
•Draft budget constitutes a real
threat to the socio economic
rights of the people
UK Emergency Budget June 2010
£8bn impact in tax rises and welfare cuts
Further UK cuts to Welfare benefits:
£8bn becomes £16bn
UK Cuts to NI Block Grant:
£4bn
▪Impact - 75% women
Women
Children
Everyone living in poverty
The low paid
Pensioners
Working class people in general
Long term unemployment/
increasing job loss
Failed economic strategy
Cuts in public services increase
jobs loss
Attack on Benefits system and
pay and conditions
Employment initiatives under
threat
Trade Union Rights
Under Threat
Over 4 years £2.3m funding gap
ISSUES NOT
ADDRESSED
Health
Outcomes
Inequalities
Real need
Community
/ prevention
Restricted access to community care
Closures of beds
Hospital beds will get blocked
Waiting lists will extend, both for hospital and community
services
Reduction in grants to the voluntary sector
No new patients on high cost drugs
Jobs will be lost – c.4,000
A moratorium in employment
Cash control on necessary agency and locum spend
leading to unplanned closure
New buildings currently in construction left unopened
Co payments and Greater contributions from service users.
Over 4 years £300m funding gap
Capital 30% shortfall
ISSUES NOT ADDRESSED
Attainment Outcomes
Existing Inequalities
Real need
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Promise of some growth in Free Meals, Early Years
BUT
School meals budget cut by 6%
School Budget Cut (2014-2015 - 15%)
LMS issue
Home to School Transport cut
Capacity Building (4.8m) cut
Job loss
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE ARTS AND LEISURE
Library Closures (x10)
15-20% reduction opening hours (redundancies)
Recruitment freeze
Book Stock (0.29!)
Department of Employment
Student loans
Education Maintenance Allowance
Universities and Colleges
Major cuts in services and job
‘Flat Cash’
Little or no growth in public housing
Waiting list increase
Regeneration initiatives under threat
Obscene cuts to the welfare benefits system
Introduction of charging for services
Universal Benefit a threat to individual rights
Pay Freezes
Pay Cuts
Attacks on agreed conditions
‘Sweating’ the workforce
Attacking the benefits system
UK and NI governments side-stepping legal
obligations on equality and human rights
Legal challenges in UK winning at operational level
if not at Government level
Trades unions taking industrial action
Unions and communities mobilising, marching ,
lobbying and taking direct action
A sustained programme of strategic action on all
front can bring about change