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