NIPSA NEWS
NIPSA NEWS January 2014_Layout 1 30/01/2014 08:40 Page 1
THE NEWSPAPER OF THE LEADING PUBLIC SERVICE TRADE UNION
Pension contracts shredded by Assembly – See page 3
Smear test warning for over 50s – See page 5
Asbestos warning for students and staff – See page 6
JANUARY 2014 Tel: 028 90661831 www.nipsa.org.uk
Union leading fight against austerity measures – See pages 8/9
Battle to save Consumer Council gathers pace See pages 10/11
Union campaign to Pay protests planned save 300 DVA jobs NIPSA members are to join other public service workers in calling for a decent pay increase at a series of UK-wide lunchtime protests on February 4. Members will stand shoulder to shoulder with colleagues from UNISON, UNITE and GMB at the demos which will be held outside City Hall in Belfast and the Guildhall in Derry/Londonderry at 12.30pm. They are being staged to show a united opposition to the unfair treatment of NJC workers. NJC Trade Union Side lodged a claim in late October last year for a £1 per hour rise for workers in schools, housing, libraries, further education colleges as well as education and library board and local government. To date no response has been received from NJC employers. However, a response is expected shortly. Deputy General Secretary Alison Millar told NIPSA News: “This claim for £1 per hour for all NJC workers comes after a three-year pay freeze followed by a mea-
gre 1% increase in 2013 – which thousands of workers in education have yet to have paid. “Staff working in local government, housing, education, libraries and further education have seen their pay decrease by more than 16% in real terms. “Thousands of workers in these sectors are low-paid workers and struggle to meet the ever-increasing costs of day to day living. “Many are in receipt of tax credits and housing benefit to top up their income. This cannot be right – NIPSA demand a decent increase for all public sector workers so that they do not have to rely on top-up benefits to make ends meet.” She added: “It is important that NJC Employers Side ensure that they reverse the trend of the last four years and award a decent increase – the NJC Trade Union claim for £1 per hour is reasonable against the backdrop of the past four years of 1% effectively over the last four years. Our members demand a decent pay increase.”
A&E IN CRISIS Pictured (fourth from left) is NIPSA’s Ryan McKinney, with NI MPs and councillors outside Downing Street, before they handed in a petition calling for the jobs to stay.
See story on page 2
NIPSA has continually warned of the drastic impact Transforming Your Care is having on programmes of care within the Health Service. The recent crisis over A&E provision is a measure of how much NHS services are being compromised by the TYC project. A ‘major incident’ was declared at the A&E department at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on January 8. On what should have been a normal Wednesday night, doctors and nurses had to deal with a massive backlog of patients with more than 40 left waiting on trol-
leys. The unit was stretched to the limit and staff were called at home and drafted in to cope with a totally chaotic situation. A potentially tragic incident also occurred recently during the first weekend closure of Downe and Lagan Valley’s A&E units, which saw paramedics rushing an ill child 30 miles to the nearest A&E at Daisy Hill, Newry. The irony was that the child lives only a few miles from the Downe Hospital. These stories as well as similar coverage in the media highlights the desperate situation in local A&E units.
But, just as important, these incidents also represent the wider problem developing across the Health Service in Northern Ireland. And some NIPSA Branches have expressed the view that the Assembly Executive’s health cuts could potentially lead to deaths which otherwise would have been avoidable. What has been the Health Minister Edwin Poots’ response to the crisis at the Royal Victoria Hospital? Incredibly and disgracefully the Minister described the life-threatening situation as a “one-off incident”.
He then unbelievably went so far as to effectively blame patients attending the A&E department on January 8 by calling on the public to “be careful as to how they use emergency services”. And Mr Poots said this while refusing to accept any responsibility for policies he implemented as a Minister. On the back of these developments NIPSA called on the Northern Ireland Assembly and Mr Poots to review the provision of A&E services across Northern Ireland as a matter of urgency. Story continues on page 4
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News
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We ARE a campaigning union. Here’s why…
ON January 10, around 200 NIPSA representatives attended a briefing in Belfast on the current public expenditure situation in Northern Ireland. They heard about the progress of a number of campaigns involving the union in defence of members’ interests and public services. The turnout, remarkable coming so soon after the Christmas and New Year break, was an indication of the resolve and determination of NIPSA representatives to resist the Government’s austerity programme as well as their commitment to protect public services and hard-won social security provisions in our society. An examination of the campaigns highlighted the ways in which we can organise to achieve our objectives. The event instilled increased confidence that we can in fact successfully challenge the threats posed by decisions taken by both the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The range of campaigns being spearheaded by the union is impressive. The campaign to protect more than 300 jobs in the Driver Vehicle Agency, mainly in and around Coleraine, has the support of all Northern Ireland Westminster MPs as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly. This campaign, launched two years ago, took on a new life when NIPSA convened a public meeting in Coleraine, enlisting the support of not only politicians but also Coleraine Borough Council, the local Chamber of Commerce and many of the local business community, especially in the motor trade, who would stand to lose substantial business if the jobs are relocated to Swansea in Wales. NIPSA commissioned a purpose-made video as part of the campaign and this has been used with great effect to persuade the UK Transport Minister to keep the jobs in Coleraine and other areas of Northern Ireland. A decision on these jobs was expected in January. It was somewhat more difficult to enlist the wholehearted support of our local politicians against the proposed closure of the Exploris Aquarium and Seal Sanctuary in Portaferry. This was because the initial decision to close Exploris was taken by the representatives of our local political parties on Ards Bor-
Editorial
ough Council. Nonetheless the campaign to save Exploris was advanced by NIPSA in a way that enlisted the support right across the local community, which in turn generated important pressure on our local politicians. We won a stay of execution on two occasions and created some time and space for a campaign for regional funding of Exploris to be developed. Time will tell how successful this campaign has been. If Exploris is saved, it will have been due to the vigorous campaign led by NIPSA. How many people outside of the Derry area will know that NIPSA intervened at an early stage to prevent the privatisation of Civil Service Pensions Administration? The local NIPSA branch launched its initiative to prevent the privatisation of this function. Its campaign included a positive vote in support of strike action and after securing the backing of local political parties a decision was taken by the Finance Minister Simon Hamilton to rule out the privatisation option. In our view this decision was heavily influenced by the determined activity of NIPSA members working in this function. Had this campaign not been triggered, we can be certain that this service could have been lost to the public sector with dire consequences for jobs and the local economy. And there are a number of other campaigns involving this union… We are leading a major campaign to stop the abolition of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Opposition to the privatisation of soft services in the Department of Social Development continues to be a priority for NIPSA. We are campaigning to prevent the winding up of the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland. Also on Tuesday, January 21, we protested against the privatisation of our Health Services, demonstrating outside the Lisburn Road offices of the private company 3fivetwo Healthcare, which is playing an increasing role in our health service delivery. Our representatives and members in Belfast City Council are leading the way in trying to keep leisure services in the public sector. To this end, the union has commissioned a report
from the Association of Public Service Excellence (to which we are affiliated). We plan to use this report to thwart the Council transferring its leisure services to a “leisure trust” type organisation. NIPSA is determined to keep leisure services in Belfast within the public sector and we will fight tooth and nail to achieve this objective. Our members in both the Legal Services Commission and PSNI Scenes of Crime have taken industrial action over pay and terms and conditions of service. We should know shortly how these campaigns have worked out. We continue to work, through protest action and lobbying, for a fair and just resolution for members in the PSNI and Department of Justice to the denial of their moral entitlement. The outcome of the Judicial Review against the outsourcing and privatisation of work in the PSNI is awaited and we have just started an extended industrial tribunal case on behalf of members in the Health and Social Care sector over their entitlement to back pay from 2006. All this activity, all these interventions on behalf of members and in defence of public services demonstrate beyond doubt that NIPSA is committed to promoting the interests of members. That is our raison d’etre. The message is clear. We can make a difference if we take a stand. We can successfully defend our members’ interests if we refuse to accept that austerity cannot be challenged. The evidence is there in many of our campaigns. We might not be successful in them all but we can win important battles if members are mobilised and our campaigns are well thought out and executed with intelligence and determination. And we can be even more effective if we build our membership base, if we recruit employees who are not trade union members into NIPSA and if we enlist more of our members into playing an active role as local representatives. I look forward to working with all our members and representatives in 2014 in our campaigns to defend public services and public servants and for the creation of a fairer and more equal society. Brian Campfield, General Secretary
HQ Official Ryan McKinney told NIPSA Reports: “We were delighted at the success of the activity. At around noon on Wednesday, December 11, the campaign was referred to in Prime Minister’s Questions and 30 minutes later around a dozen MPs, plus members of the House of Lords, joined us in what was quite a unique spectacle and was testament to the support we have built for retaining both the services and the jobs here. “Members of the Shadow Cabinet also showed up after we had lobbied them over the previous weeks. NIPSA members who work for the DVA gave virtually continuous media interviews from we left the airport at 6am and there was coverage right though until the last news bulletins that evening.” He added: “There is no doubt that the campaign has made itself heard – we just hope that enough has been done to ensure that the government actually listen.” Another encouraging development was the public backing given by Ivan Lewis MP who followed on from his visit to County Hall earlier in December by joining those at Downing Street as well as issuing a press release. It stated: “Ivan Lewis MP, Shadow Secretary of
State for Northern Ireland, had a telephone conference call this morning with Transport Minister Robert Goodwill. Lewis urged the Minister to think again and shelve the proposed job losses. He highlighted the devastating impact this decision would have on the local economy and the anxiety this was causing the workforce in the run up to Christmas.” Once the petition was delivered to No. 10, the delegation moved to the House of Commons where campaigners briefed politicians and Commons researchers. Again great use was made of the short campaign film produced by NIPSA in October last year. MPs were asked to continue lobbying the Government and to use whatever influence they had to ensure that the Northern Ireland Executive, and in particular the First and Deputy First Ministers, continued to argue the case. More than 300 workers are affected by the proposal to close vehicle licensing offices in Downpatrick, Armagh, Enniskillen, Belfast, Coleraine, Derry, Omagh and Ballymena. It is understood an announcement on the future of local offices in Northern Ireland is expected in January.
DVA campaign knocks on PM’s front door… IN A LAST-ditch attempt to force the UK Government to reverse plans to close all vehicle licensing offices in Northern Ireland, NIPSA representatives along with senior politicians and business leaders delivered a petition containing more than 40,000 signatures to No.10 Downing Street before Christmas.
NIPSA had co-ordinated the delegation ensuring there was significant cross-party support. Mayoral representatives from Coleraine, Moyle, Ballymoney and Limavady teamed up with MPs and peers from across the political spectrum in a bid to force the issue to the very top of the political agenda.
NIPSA NEWS
NIPSA Harkin House, 54 Wellington Park, Belfast BT9 6DP, Tel: 028 90661831 Fax 028 90665847 or email: alison.millar@nipsa.org.uk Editorial contact details: Bob Miller email: bob.miller@nipsa.org.uk Correspondence should be sent to the above address. Unless otherwise stated, the views contained in NIPSA NEWS do not necessarily reflect the policy of trade union NIPSA.
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Assembly shreds rights on pensions
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NIPSA has warned that the NI Assembly has “effectively shredded” the contracts of 200,000 public service workers in Northern Ireland and further claimed he did it “without a second thought”. It came as the Assembly considered the Public Service Pensions Bill on January 14. According to the union, the Assembly refused to accept amendments to the Bill which would have: n provided retention of existing rights in respect of your pension age; n provided for full trade union representation over the governance of public sector pension schemes; n ruled out further changes including excluding any move away from defined benefit schemes to defined contribution; and n provided for greater Assembly consideration of any further planned changes to public service pensions. NIPSA Assistant General Secretary Bumper Graham, who leads for NIC-ICTU on pension reform, said: “The NI Assembly has effectively shredded the contracts of over 200,000 public service workers without a second thought. “This is an unacceptable slavish pursuit of parity with Great Britain. “The NI Assembly, particularly those political parties which voted through the Bill, has let down tens of thousands of public service workers who had expected under their contracts to retire at 60 or 65 and who will now have to work until 68 or even longer. “The Finance Minister regularly emphasises the need for economic appraisals, yet seems to have been content that there has been no assessment of the impact of this on
Northern Ireland despite the trade unions repeatedly asking for a full macro economic assessment of the proposals. It will probably end up costing more than they think it will save. For one thing, if you keep someone in a job until they are 68 or older, you are blocking that job for a younger person or graduate. “Studies have shown that people forced to work longer are more likely to suffer from ill health, so it is likely to cost the health service more and the most expensive aspect of pensions are those paid out to people with ill health.” Referring to the Assembly debate on January 14, he told NIPSA News: “The Assembly is always quick to criticise public service absenteeism and yet for most of what I saw of the debate, a quarter of our MLAs were missing, without any explanation. Certainly more than 20 MLAs were not there.” Whilst the debate was more than disappointing in respect of the overall outcome, some positive changes to the Bill were made which provided for an improvement over the Westminster legislation that Sammy Wilson, the previous Finance Minister, wanted to introduce via legislative
content – i.e. without separate Northern Ireland legislation. The Bill is next due back in the Assembly in late January. Mr Graham added: “We are still in discussions with MLAs and parties to see what amendments can be brought forward for the next stage. “Should the Bill remain unchanged, we are asking MLAs to vote it down at final reading stage. “Should it pass the fight will go on as each scheme will have to produce new regulations and scheme rules and we will make sure that Sponsoring Departments face a battle to try and progress any adverse changes.”
NIPSA members at pension protest at Stormont
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Fight to keep Belfast leisure services public continues
NIPSA and the other trade unions in Belfast City Council have embarked on a series of meetings with the political parties on the council to persuade them to opt for an in-house solution to the future of leisure services in the city. Senior council officers favour the transfer of leisure services to a Trust-type organisation that would remove the services from Council control and raise serious issues of accountability as well as major concerns about the future of staff pensions and other important terms and conditions of employment. While the Council appears to have ruled out straight privatisation of the delivery of leisure services, the effect of adopting the Trust model would be tantamount to the same thing for both staff and the public. Indications are that the Council intends to press ahead with a decision in January. As a result, NIPSA has joined with other unions on the Council in engaging the Association of Public Sector Excellence to produce a critique of the Deloitte report that recommended the Trust model as a way forward. The unions will provide a copy of this critique to councillors and argue that it should be used as the basis for developing an in-house “bid”. NIPSA has major concerns that senior council officials are pressurising the Council to choose the Trust model and bypass the need to enter into adequate consultation and negotiation with unions on the future of leisure services in the city. The unions are unanimous and united in their commitment to keep Belfast leisure services public and so prevent the Council from dumping its responsibilities for leisure services on to an unaccountable organisation such as a leisure trust.
People’s Assembly meeting ‘important first step’
WHAT people in Northern Ireland can learn from the setting up of ‘People’s Assembies’ in England and Wales was the subject of a special meeting in December. The meeting – held in the UNITE offices in Belfast – was a joint initiative by NIPSA and UNITE and was chaired by Paddy Mackel, President of Belfast and District Trades Union Council. UNITE’s Steve Turner gave an informative and encouraging presentation on the developments in Britain, in particular highlighting the diversity of the groups in-
volved as well as the range of activities that had been taken to date. He made a number of important points that will need to be fully addressed in developing a similar approach locally. These included the need to have a single clear focus on rejecting and defeating the cuts agenda, an acceptance that the battle will not be won industrially on its own and – crucially – that the process has to be open to all groups who commit themselves to an agreed “statement of intent”. Given the different opin-
ions held by the groups on a number of fronts, both politically and tactically, Steve Turner emphasised how important it was that these differences were left outside the door to concentrate solely on what united the Assembly. He also stressed the importance of the Assembly being “action-based” and cited a number of examples: a “Bonfire to Austerity” on November 5 where people burned their energy bills as a protest; the turning of local Starbucks cafes into crèches; and the staging of anti-zero hours protests out-
side Boots due to tax avoidance. The meeting was well attended with around 70 people present representing a number of unions and groups. Contributions from the floor welcomed the decision to organise the meeting and offered a range of views on the way forward. While it was an extremely encouraging initial meeting, it was clear that work is still needed to broaden the reach out into the wider community to attract others, such as women’s groups, young people, the marginalised, dis-
ability groups and wider civic society. However, this was an important first step in developing an alternative voice to the political decisions taken both at Westminster and in the Assembly that continue to impact significantly on ordinary workers and working class people. It was agreed to give further thought to the way forward, reconvene a further meeting in the New Year and consider an event or initial action shortly after that, including developing a “statement of intent” to provide greater focus.
A&E CRISIS IS HIGHLIGHTED
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HEALTH
NHS being carved up by private firms
THE Government has been accused of allowing the private sector to “cherry-pick” successful NHS services after a survey revealed NHS contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds had gone to private companies since the Coalition's health reforms. The NHS Support Federation, which campaigns against the marketisation of healthcare in the UK, claimed that, from a sample of 57 NHS contracts awarded between April and December 2013, more than two thirds had gone to the private sector – at a total value of £450m. However, the Government said that the figures were “selective and misleading” and NHS leaders said that the independent sector provided only six per cent of NHS clinical care – a figure that had increased by one per cent since 2010. The figures were based on contract award notices appearing on a European Union procurement database. Services which passed into private hands included pharmacy services, mental health care, ambulance services and paediatrics. Andy Burnham, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said that the figures proved that the privatisation of the NHS was “proceeding at an alarming pace and scale”. “While the future demands greater integration of care, David Cameron has set the NHS on the opposite path – a fast-track to fragmentation and privatisation,” he said. Under the Government’s health reforms, any qualified provider can bid for NHS services that are put out to tender by commissioners. By law, commissioners can avoid the tendering process but have to meet strict guidelines to prove that alternatives have been considered and that existing NHS services are best for patients. However, the Conservatives said that Labour were guilty of “hypocrisy” over private sector involvement in the health service. “The reality is that when they left office in 2010, private sector providers carried out five per cent of NHS work, a figure that has only increased by one per cent since then,” a spokesperson said.
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Continued from page 1 In a subsequent statement, NIPSA described as “totally unacceptable” that A&E services had again hit the headlines because of “unacceptable trolley waits”. It continued: “A major incident was declared by the Belfast Trust due to the large backlog of patients awaiting treatment. “While the staff responded and were congratulated by the Trust, the Trust and the Minister need to recognise that the resources available do not meet the need. “The Trust is relying on the goodwill of staff who are stressed, overworked and are working under extreme pressure. “The goodwill of staff is being
taken for granted. The Trust and the Minister need to take responsibility for the provision of A&E services both in the Belfast Trust and across all other Trusts in Northern Ireland. “This comes at a time when the Downe and Lagan Valley A&E departments are closed at weekends. The Minister must ensure that there is adequate provision of A&E services across Northern Ireland.” NIPSA is to challenge the Minister and the HSBC to respond to the situation and ensure that sufficient A&E provision is provided across Northern Ireland. The union is also calling on the Health Committee to meet urgently to address what it has dubbed an “unacceptable situation”.
Ca fai hig
Opt out available as privacy fears rages over NHS patients medical records
THE Health and Social Care Information Centre is set to go live later this year allowing health or big pharma companies to buy patients’ medical records for the first time. The HSCIC claims to have been set up to make research easier and to help drug insurance and health companies understand side-effects and trends on a national scale. But companies like Bupa or Virgin that already hold data on UK patients may be able to use the new anonymous data available from the centre to
See Around The Branches - Page 10
precisely identify where it has come from, according to campaigners. Phil Booth, co-ordinator at patient pressure group medConfidential, told the Guardian: "One of people's commonest concerns about their medical records is that they'll be used for commercial purposes, or mean they are discriminated against by insurers or in the workplace. "Rather than prevent this, the scheme is deliberately designed so that 'pseudonymised' data – information that can be re-identified by any-
one who already holds information about you – can be passed on to 'customers' of the information centre, with no independent scrutiny and without even notifying patients. It's a disaster just waiting to happen." The information for sale to profitmaking firms will contain NHS numbers, date of birth, postcode, ethnicity and gender. Patients can choose to opt out of the system by contacting their family doctor.
New NHS drugs policy could see elderly denied treatment
NEW drugs will only be made available on the NHS if they help people deemed to be a benefit to society under proposals that prompted fears elderly people could be denied treatment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) is due to change how it decides which drugs can be provided by the health service. The proposals would mean Nice would have to consider “wider societal benefits” of the treatments as well as the cost and benefits to patients. Dr Paul Catchpole, of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, told The Daily Telegraph: “It is concerning because, under the new appraisal system, cancer medicine might do less well because older people aren't as beneficial to society. "You might have a cancer treatment for a severe disease but because the majority of the cancer patients
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are elderly they aren't generating wider societal benefits, they are more likely to be generating costs. “But if you have got a medicine that gets someone back to work then you could argue, under this system, that that's better for society.” David Taylor, professor of pharmaceutical and public health policy at University College London, said the plan was “a real threat to the public well-being and a real threat to the well-being of older people”. “To me the whole methodology seems deeply suspect,” he said. Sources close to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told The Telegraph that plan was at an early stage and would not result in discrimination against elderly people. The draft policy is due to be put out for public consultation in the next few weeks.
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Cancer Research study finds women who fail to have smear tests over 50 have higher chance of developing the disease
WOMEN over 50 are being urged to have regular smear tests after research showed that those who do not attend screenings are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer than those whose tests have been normal. A study from Cancer Research UK scientists found women who fail to have smear tests over 50 have a much higher chance of developing the disease compared with other women the same age who have a history of normal screening results. Researchers also found that women with a screening history and normal screening results between the ages of 50 and 64 have a lower risk of cervical cancer at least into their 80s. Researchers examined data taken from 1,341 women aged 65 to 83 who were diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2007 and 2012, and compared them to 2,646 women without the disease. Among those women who skipped smear tests between the ages of 50 and 64, 49 cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed per 10,000 women at the ages of 65 to 83. This compared with just eight cases per 10,000 women among those with an adequate screening history and normal results. Women who had been screened regularly but had an abnormal result between the ages of 50 and 64 had the highest risk of all – 86 cervical cancer cases per 10,000 women at age 65 to 83. In England and Northern Ireland women aged 25 to 49 are offered screening
every three years, and every five years between 50 and 64. Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said women could control their risk of cervical cancer through regular screening. "Any abnormalities that might be found can then be treated in order that they do not go on to develop into cancer. Where a cervical cancer is found through screening, it is usually at a very early stage where treatment has a greater chance of success," Patnick said. "It is essential that women are aware of this when deciding whether or not to be screened." Meanwhile, women who have been found to carry abnormal cells in their cervix are at much greater risk of later developing and dying from cervical or vaginal cancer, a Swedish study shows. The study of 150,883 women who had been treated for CIN3, cells that can be a precursor to cancer, found that they were the most at risk from cancer when their reached their 60s or 70s. A paper on the British Medical Journal's website reports: "Women previously treated for CIN3 are at increased risk of developing and dying from cervical or vaginal cancer, compared with the general female population. "Women previously diagnosed with, and treated for, CIN3 were at substantially increased risk of developing cervical or vaginal cancer when they reached 60. The risk accelerated with further ageing."Among Swedish
women the lifetime or background risk of developing either cancer is 8.9 cases per 100,000 women, and 10.2 cases per 100,000 in women who are aged at least 70. But among the women in the study who had CIN3 the rate was more than 70 per 100,000 women aged 70 – seven times that of the general population of that age. The authors stress that while cervical cancer screening helps prevent many cases of, and deaths from, the disease, those treated for CIN3 nonetheless face "a steep increase in risk of death with increased age after previous diagnosis of CIN3". The risk more than doubled 30 years after the treatment, they said. In the UK about 2,851 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2010,
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Where a cervical cancer is found through screening it is usually at a very early stage where treatment has a greater chance of success. It is essential that women are aware of this when deciding whether or not to be screened
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Regular cancer screen testing saves lives
making it the 12th most common female cancer, while 972 women died from it during 2011. Although all women aged 25 to 64 are offered screening, just under four in five take up the offer, and attendances have been falling since 2003, according to Public Health England. While 4.24 million were invited to screening in 201213, just 3.32 million (78.3%) made the appointment. The biggest fall in attendance has been with women aged 25 to 49. In those 3.32m tests 6.5% gave abnormal results and 0.6% of the women had CIN3. The NHS cancer screening programme could not say how many women a year are treated for CIN3. Women treated for CIN3 have a colonoscopy plus one of five procedures, such as a cone biopsy, cryotherapy or laser treatment. Sarah Williams, Cancer Research UK's health information officer, said cervical screening saved thousands of lives. "This study highlights how important it is to keep an eye on women who've had abnormal cells in their cervix. In the UK, these women have follow-up screening tests and tests for the HPV infections that cause cervical cancer, to reduce the risk of the abnor-
mal cells coming back." Robert Music, chief executive of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said the study highlighted a need to look at the follow-up treatment of women with CIN3. omen over 50 are being urged to have regular smear tests after separate new research studies by Cancer Research UK showedindicated that those who do did not attend are were six times more likely to develop cervical cancer than those whose test results were normal. In England and Northern Ireland women aged 25 to 49 are offered screening every three years, and every five years between 50 and 64. Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said women could control their risk of cervical cancer through regular screening. "Any abnormalities that might be found can then be treated in order that they do not go on to develop into cancer. Where a cervical cancer is found through screening it is usually at a very early stage where treatment has a greater chance of success. It is essential that women are aware of this when deciding whether or not to be screened." Source: The Guardian
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Judicial Review outcome on PSNI outsourcing expected shortly
THE long-awaited decision over NIPSA’s legal challenge to the outsourcing of 1,000 policing posts by the Chief Constable is expected on February 3. NIPSA sought a judicial review when it emerged that the Chief Constable appeared to have acted outside the scope of his authority in the awarding of a £180 million contract to Resource NI Ltd in July 2012. The union has argued that such a contract needed to be approved by the Northern Ireland Policing Board and that this approval had neither been sought nor granted. NIPSA also pointed out that the outsourcing of police roles was governed by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2003 and that this legislation limited the scope of any outsourcing to four specific roles. As the Resource contract extends far beyond these four roles, NIPSA’s legal team have argued that the contract is therefore illegal. A hearing at Belfast High Court in front of Mr Justice Treacy took place over five days in June last year. Mr Justice Treacy has indicated that he will be in a position to make his decision public on February 3. Commenting on the development, Assistant Secretary Ryan McKinney told NIPSA NEWS: “It has been a frustrating wait for NIPSA members in the PSNI and they will be relieved that some clarity will be brought to the issue. “Trade Union Side are very keen to have an outcome particularly as the delay has led to the awarding of further temporary ‘direct award’ contracts which financially benefit private sector companies and do not guarantee best value for money.” He added: “We are cautiously optimistic about our chances of success but one thing is clear regardless of the outcome that is NIPSA’s determination to resist the creeping privatisation of policing. “Everyone working within the police deserves decent rates of pay and terms and conditions which are negotiated with their trade union. Ultimately there should be no room for profit in the delivery of essential public services such as this one.”
ASBESTOS DANGER TO STUDENTS AND STAFF
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THE danger posed by asbestos in schools was highlighted at an ICTU-organised Health and Safety seminar in December. In her presentation, Denise Bertuchi, of the Joint Union Asbestos Committee in England and Wales, spoke about a range of activities and engagements involving the JUAC. These ranged from providing advice on the use of warm air heating systems in schools to getting politicians to deal seriously with asbestosrelated diseases such as mesothelioma. Paddy Mackel, who chairs the ICTU Educa-
tion Trade Union Group, also gave a presentation on the ETUG’s initial engagement with the Department of Education over safety arrangements linked to asbestos, following the fire in Arvalee Special School, Omagh, in 2012. He underlined the lack of clarity from the Department in response to a number of the questions raised by the ETUG. Paddy Mackel also emphasised that unions needed to develop a coherent and agreed approach to tackle the issue. And he pointed out that 75% of all schools
contained asbestos, with 21 containing crocidolite, the most dangerous form of asbestos. There was general agreement at the seminar that closer links should be forged with union colleagues in the schools sector in the Republic on the issue. In addition a joint meeting between ICTU and the officers of the ICTU Health Group and Education Group was arranged for the end of January to discuss common issues of concern and forging of a possible joint approach. Separately the ICTU Education Trade Union group will also discuss
this agenda item at their next meeting to develop a focused approach with the Department of Education in a bid to reach agreement on how to tackle continuing concerns about asbestos in schools. The event looked at a number of other Health and Safety developments and included a useful contribution and Q&A session from the Health and Safety Executive. Carmen Biagioni also received a presentation as Safety Rep of the Year at the meeting.
Specialist asbestos spraying on a roof
Privacy of 7m trade unionists under threat after Lord’s “masterclass of hypocrisy”
The privacy of seven million trade union members remains under threat as key amendments to the Lobbying Bill were rejected in the House of Lords. Part 3 of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill (TU Admin Bill) gives far-reaching new powers to the government. It will create a new role of ‘assurer’ who will be armed with the power to access union membership records at all ‘reasonable’ times, and it will enable the government’s Certification Officer to require unions to produce documents, including membership
records and private correspondence. The amendments put forward by Labour peer Lord Monks sought to place a duty of confidentiality to trade unions on the assurer and for them to commit to working within the Data Protection Act 1998 to protect the sensitive personal data of union members. The proposed safeguards to privacy were rejected by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in what Thompsons Solicitors is calling a master class in hypocrisy. National Coordinator for Trade Union Law Richard Arthur said: “These were sensible and reasoned
amendments seeking only compliance with the law. Whilst the government rushed to rely on Data Protection rules to shield their friends in the banking industry from having to share details of their hefty bonuses, they have refused to ensure the assurer complies when it comes to millions of union members. What hypocrisy! “A simple clause would have respected the law. Without it, the TU Admin Bill will, if passed into law, be in clear breach of the Data Protection Directive around the processing of sensitive data. It is an obvious and unwarranted attack on the pri-
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vacy of union members, a group already vulnerable – as we’ve seen recently in the construction industry – to blacklisting and victimisation.” Further amendments to the Bill were discussed in the House of Lords on Wednesday, January 15. The full Thompsons Solicitors response to the Transparency of Lobbying, NonParty Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill can be found here: http://www.thompsonstradeunionlaw.co.uk/information-and-resources/transparency-lobbying-nonparty-campaigning-union-administration-bill.htm
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Trade union reps step in to help ice temps
Fantastic turnout for reps meeting
OVER 150 branch reps attended a meeting in January where they heard of the union’s continuing campaigns to battle against the austerity measures being imposed by the Con-Dem government. They were brought up to speed on how the government had imposed cuts, frozen pay, undermined pensions and introduced job losses. The Government is clearly attempting to solve a financial crisis, triggered by the unacceptable practices in the financial and banking sectors, by placing the burden, not on those interests which caused the crisis, but on the shoulders of ordinary working people, the reps were told.
LIGHT ON HORIZON AT LSC OVER PAY
NIPSA has welcomed news as “light on the horizon” that the Finance Minister has finally approved a business case over a long-standing issue about rates of pay at the Legal Services Commission. Assistant General Secretary Kieran Bannon told NIPSA News: “It has been a long and hard struggle for our members in the Legal Services Commission. Poverty has been a stark reality for these members and now perhaps they will see some relief.” The plight of low paid workers at the LSC was highlighted in the last edition of NIPSA Reports which outlined how attempts were being made, following lengthy talks, to secure approval of a pay strategy business case seeking the applying of NICS rates of pay dating back to 2010. NIPSA had argued that this was necessary as LSC management had failed to maintain NICS pay scales within the organisation. (Aligning LSC staff to NICS rates of pay had been negotiated by the union in 2008.) As a result, LSC workers had no increase in pay since the imposed 2009 rise that failed to honour the agreement secured in the previous year. Just before Christmas, the pay strategy business case – submitted by LSC management to its sponsoring body, the Department of Justice (DoJ) – was the subject of discussions with the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP). A number of issues were raised and DFP were not prepared to sanction the business case at that stage. In light of that development, General Secretary Brian Campfield and Assistant General Secretary Kieran Bannon met with the Officers and Committee of Branch 105 to discuss what further action could be taken to put pressure on the respective manage-
ments looking at the business case. A decision was taken that should no progress be made by the New Year, a ballot on action short of strike action would be taken and consideration given to a series of selective strikes pulling key workers out at business critical dates. However, before arrangements on such action were put into place, NIPSA was advised that DFP had agreed to the business case being submitted to the Finance Minister for consideration. And by mid-January confirmation was received from DFP that the Minister had approved the pay strategy business case. According to NIPSA, this is great news for members in the LSC and gives some light on the horizon. Officials have pointed out that there is still work to be done “as the next stage in the process involves the submission of a pay remit for DFP and Ministerial approval”. When approved, this will facilitate members getting money in their pockets. LSC management has indicated that they would want the pay arrears and new salaries implemented by the end of the financial year (March). However, NIPSA is pressing for this to be facilitated in salaries in February. Mr Bannon added: “Achieving this has only been possible by the determination of the negotiating team, the strong resolve of Branch 105 representatives and – most importantly – members. “It is down to a strong, organised branch and members being prepared to fight, including through industrial action, to secure this fair and just outcome.”
BIG-HEARTED trade union reps stepped in to help more than 30 young Newry people left stranded without wages after Christmas. They had been employed as temporary workers with the Newry On Ice Winter Wonderland seasonal event, but were left ‘frozen out’ when it was reported that owners of the venture, Ice Skate City Ltd, failed to pay them. The privately-funded event was supported by the local council which provided a site at the Albert Basin. Helena McSherry, from Newry Trades Council, told NIPSA News: "Newry and Mourne Council granted these people permission to have Newry On Ice on their land. We want to ensure these young people get paid. "For many of the young people it was their first job. It's not a nice way to start working life." The NIPSA rep added that Newry Trades Council reps stepped in to advise the young people on where best to turn in order to fight for their wages. A spokesperson for the group explained: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank a few organisations for the overwhelming support they have given to us since the realisation that we were not going to get paid for the long hours in the cold and rain we endured over Christmas after being employed by the Newry On Ice owners. “This has been a cruel blow for all of us – especially the students who were really depending on this money for going back to college. “We would like to thank Newry Trades Union for their quick interception when the news broke that we were not going to get paid. We also would like to thank Newry and Mourne District Council in supporting us in finding a way forward to get what we are owed. “And car dealership JC Campbell of Rostrevor have also shown great generosity by offering to put £100 from every car sold in January towards the Newry ice workers’ unpaid wages.” The workers’ spokesperson added: “It is very comforting to know that there are people and organisations out there that are willing to help and guide us through trying to achieve what is rightfully ours. For this we are forever indebted. We will keep fighting until we get what we are owed.”
NIPSA LEADS THE FIGHT AGAINST WELFARE REFORM BILL
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DESPITE speculation, the Northern Ireland Welfare Reform our elected representatives will punish those hard working Bill did not return to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the families who rely on other ‘top-up’ benefits such as tax consideration stage before the Christmas recess. credits and housing benefit. While this was welcomed by NIPSA, it does not mean the “NIPSA has made it clear and make no apology for continulegislation has been defeated. ing our campaign of opposition to this most draconian In fact as NIPSA News was going to press, the union was piece of legislation. advised that the Executive Sub Group is meeting again – “NIPSA, ICTU and the wider community call on elected and this could signal movement representatives to ‘Kill the Bill’ or agreement between the par- Proportion of the entire Welfare Budget by putting in a petition of conthat goes on benefit to unemployed people cern.” ties on the issue. In a letter sent before ChristShe added: “The facts are if 30 The reality What people think mas, the Chief Secretary to the MLAs sign a petition of conTreasury informed the Stormont cern the Bill will fall.” Finance Minister that any delay Recent media coverage from beyond January 2014 would across the water has highProportion of Welfare Budget that is lead to a monthly cost of £5m to lighted how Welfare Reform claimed fraudulently the Northern Ireland Block and in particular the much-herGrant. alded Universal Credit is in criThe reality What people think Many NIPSA members will also sis. be aware of DWP Minister Mike The IT system doesn’t work Penning’s bullish statement that and £140m has already been this financial penalty will comProportion of those claiming Job Seekers written-off. mence unless the Bill is passed Allowance who go on to claim it for more Universal Credit is only being in January 2014. introduced for straightforward than a year NIPSA are continuing to work claims from single claimants with NIC-ICTU and a number of rather than as originally inThe reality What people think women’s groups on the camtended – comprehensively paign to oppose the Bill. across the Pathfinder areas. Alison Millar told NIPSA News: It is understood there is now Source: The TUC “NIPSA is strongly lobbying open friction between Iain against the Welfare Reform Bill Duncan Smith’s Department of which, if implemented, will be a disaster for the many hard Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Cabinet Office overworking families, the sick and disabled. seen by Francis Maude which is reported to be causing “There are a number of myths around Welfare/Social Secu- “high-level” risks to the delivery of the project. rity that need to be dispelled. These are set out above…” A NIPSA spokesperson said: “It is clear the system in Great Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) revealed in a recent Britain is broken – why therefore would our elected reprearticle that just over half of the 13 million people living in sentatives want to bring this disaster to bear on their conpoverty – defined as surviving on less than 60% of the nastituents? It should be scrapped as it is clearly not working tional median (middle) income – were from working famiand is on life-support.” lies. NIPSA is asking all members to write to their MLAs asking Alison Millar stated: “It is therefore clear that if the Northern them to oppose the introduction of the NI Welfare Reform Ireland Assembly introduce the Welfare Reform Bill then Bill.
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WHY THE AUSTERITY AGENDA HAS FAILED US SO MISERABLY
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OVER the past three-anddoned completely their plan for reducing By Paul MacFlynn, NERI a-half years Northern IreNational Debt; the target date is now in land has experienced the 2018. economic impacts of austerity as part of the In fact this government has racked up more in National Debt UK government’s overall plan to reconcile over the last three years than the previous government did in the public finances following the Great Re13. cession. What all of this means is that nearly four years later, we are While the Northern Ireland Executive is emmarginally closer to closing the budget deficit but the impact of powered to make some spending decisions and austerity cuts have done lasting damage to the UK economy. has limited revenue raising powers, it is someOwing to this economic slump we are now told that austerity what relegated to the task of implementing auspolicies will have to continue well into the next parliament and terity policies already agreed at Westminster. beyond. At this stage in the life of the current governThe Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne anment, it is worth examining the performance of nounced recently that he will require a further £25bn cuts in these policies and to see what the future might look public expenditure in the next parliament. Moreover, he has like for Northern Ireland. stated that he wants to see half of these cuts come from the To put this situation in context, the UK government set welfare budget. out two objectives when they came to power in 2010. The The government have said that no pensioner related benefirst was to eliminate the structural deficit within five years. fits will be cut, leaving the axe to fall on working age benefits. The second was to begin reducing national debt by the end of Working age benefits account for less than half of the total the current parliament. welfare budget and of that, the biggest chunk is housing beneSimply put, the deficit is the gap between what the governfit. More people ment spends on public services and what it receives in tax revGeorge Osborne listed housing benefits for the under-25 as are turning enue. his prime target for cuts in the next parliament. This group, to Food Banks The National Debt is made up of the deficits that have accu- however, forms a tiny part of the overall spend, and any savin the UK mulated over the years and additional ings would be minuscule. costs such as the financial support Housing benefit has increased in expenditure in recent given to the banking sector in the criyears, but its biggest increase was in the mid-1980s. This was sis. not because more people became dependent on this benefit, it The government rejected the idea is because the government sold off social housing and has bethat growth in the economy would come dependent on private landlords and fallen victim to rising close the gap between tax and spend- property prices and rents. ing in its entirety. They claimed that The obvious solution to reducing this bill would be to build most of the deficit was structural, and more social housing. that this could only be closed by inThis constitutes just one of the many myths surrounding creasing taxes or cutting spending. public expenditure and welfare in particular. Ballot papers must be The chose the latter and it was a Expenditure on Incapacity Benefit and its successor Employcompleted and returned choice. ment Support Allowance have actually been falling in real in the pre paid envelope to In Northern Ireland the 2011 compre- terms since the mid-1990s. hensive spending review gave us an Disability Living Allowance has been increasing at the same Electoral Reform Services indication of the way in which austerity rate in real terms since 1992, even though this is regularly London would begin to affect our economy. cited as one of the main out-of- control welfare benefits. N81 1ER From 2011 to 2015 we would see an One of the biggest drains on government finances has been 8% real terms cut in current spending tax credits. Tax credits have for years disguised the extent of Closing date for receipt of Ballot is on public services and 40% real terms low pay across the UK. cut in capital spending on projects like However, we could drastically reduce this expenditure by inschools and hospitals. troducing a living wage and using collective bargaining to enThis funding is known as the block sure that wages keep pace with inflation and productivity. grant and following the 2013 compreThe real story of austerity so far is that the government has hensive spending review we now know drastically cut funding in essential public services leading to an If you have not received a that it will have reduced in real terms economic slowdown and prolonged stagnation. ballot paper please contact by 13.2% (2010-2016). This is before Consequently we are now told that austerity policies must Membership Services we even look welfare spending. continue. at NIPSA Headquarters The government believed that by reAs departmental expenditure has been pushed to its limits, Any other queries on ducing public spending, activity in the the target has now been moved to welfare. this election should private sector would be stimulated and The government has accompanied this policy shift with a be raised with lead the way to sustained growth. This narrative that casts welfare spending as uncontainable profliElectoral Reform Services did not happen. gacy. This is intentionally misleading. 33 Clarendon Road The economy experienced proDespite an apparent “recovery”, which is being fuelled by London. N8 0NW longed stagnation with UK GDP now household debt, we still have consistently high unemployment Tel: 020 8365 8909 still 2% below where it was before the and growth and economic output well below potential. crash in 2007, despite all other westAusterity policies have failed to consolidate the public fiern economies having regained this nances; they have also failed in their more preposterous aim ground long ago. to stimulate the economy. Consequently the government have What we need is real economic stimulus in the form of innow amended their fiscal targets. They vestment in state infrastructure and housing. We need real say they will eliminate the structural wage increases and investments in human capital. deficit over five years, they just won’t These are the polices that will bring real growth, and healthy say which five. They have abanpublic finances follow with it.
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Around the branches
AROUND THE BRANCHES is a new feature in NIPSA NEWS where we take contributions from branches on the work they are doing to promote issues of concern to their members. Send copy or pictures to: bob.miller@nipsa.org.uk
Transgender event
NIPSA LGB&T Group, in conjunction with the Equality Commission, hosted an event on Transgender issues in the workplace. This event was open to all NIPSA members. The group was delighted to have NIPSA Deputy General Secretary Alison Millar and Michael Wardlow, Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission (TBC), giving the opening address. The group was also pleased to having a number of individuals from Transgender NI, SAIL, NI Fire & Rescue Service and the Equality Commission who gave presentations on Transgender issues. NIPSA LGB&T Chairperson Dáire Toner chaired the event and it finalised the proceedings with an outline presentation on developing a NIPSA LGB&T Toolkit for Branch reps and Committees.
Adoption bans lifted
THE ban on gay or unmarried couples applying to adopt children in Northern Ireland has been removed. NIPSA LGB&T Group welcomed the move, describing it as another inequality/discrimination barrier brought down. The lifting of this ban now provides a greater opportunity for children to become part of a stable loving family and not remain in foster care to be continually moved from place to place. Throughout this process, Minister Poots has wasted public money time and time again through the challenges he instructed his department to make against court rulings. Minister Poots and his party colleagues should reflect on the court rulings given throughout this process with the aim of bringing down other barriers such as blood donation and same-sex marriage while recognising that it is not in the public interest to throw public money defending their bad decisions.
LGB&T carol service
NIPSA members attended the LGB&T Community Carol Service which was be held on (Tuesday, December 17) in All Souls Church, Elmwood Avenue, Belfast.
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Viewpoint: Branch 730
THE consequence of the Assembly Executive's health cuts will be avoidable deaths.
This may seem a sensationalist claim and in the present climate even opportunistic, but in Branch 730 we believe that is the reality facing the people of Northern Ireland today. When a major incident is declared at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on what should have been a normal Wednesday, a crisis instigated by a major backlog of patients with more than 40 people left waiting on trolleys, something is wrong. On top of this we saw a potentially tragic incident occur during the first weekend closure of Downe and Lagan Valley A&E units, which saw paramedics rush a sick child 30 miles to the nearest A&E at Daisy Hill, Newry – the irony is the child only lives just a few miles from the Downe Hospital. Both of these incidents, and the subsequent press coverage, highlight the desperate situation in Northern Ireland’s A&E units. But just as important, these incidents also represent a wider problem across the Health Service in Northern Ireland. The truth that the Assembly Executive’s health cuts will cost lives is, in Branch 730’s view, self-evident. But what has been Health Minister Edwin Poots’ response to the crisis at the Royal Hospital? Incredibly – and disgracefully – the Minister dismissed the lifethreatening situation as a "one-off" incident. He then unbelievably went so far as to effectively blame patients attending the A&E department on Wednesday by calling on "the public to be careful as to how they use emergency services”, while refusing to accept any responsibility for policies he implemented on a service he has Ministerial responsibility for. The crisis within our emergency services in Belfast and the reduction of A&E services at Lagan Valley and Downe hospitals is part of a long list of Assembly health cuts. Over the last few years the
Belfast Health Trust alone has saved more than £100 million. It is Branch 730’s view that you cannot save that amount of money without it having a direct impact on those making use of the services across the Trust. However, importantly these cuts are not the responsibility of one Minister or one political party. The cuts to our health service have the collective support of all political parties – no matter what they may say otherwise for the television cameras or on radio. And the reality is any political party could easily stop these cuts in their tracks by putting forward a petition of concern. The fact that they don’t shows that the health of ordinary people is not a priority of parties in the Assembly Executive. From 2010, we have seen A&E units closed in Mid-Ulster, Whiteabbey and the Belfast City Hospitals with the on-going threat to close the Mater in Belfast. It must also be remembered that in 2011 the A&E services at Lagan Valley Hospital and the Downe Hospital were cut from 24 hours to 11 hours. Our view is that it is the intention of the Minister, the Department of Health, the Assembly Executive and the Health Board to run down these services to the point that these units can be closed down
entirely or services handed over to private profiteers. Remember how the A&E at the City Hospital was meant to be a “temporary closure”? The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Assembly have revealed that, on average, almost half of emergency ambulances across Mid-Ulster failed to meet their target response times, while ambulance waiting times to unload patients have soared. This is not coincidental. These increased response and waiting times directly follow the closure of A&E units, as pressure on waiting times, beds and staff at the remaining acute hospitals reaches boiling point. The Assembly parties have attempted to shirk their responsibility by blaming doctors for refusing to work within emergency services. This completely dishonest analysis of the crisis in A&E has been blown out of the water by a report from the College of Emergency Medicine. It illustrates that the responsibility for the A&E crisis lies with the Assembly Executive. It states: "Understaffing is due to underfunding for many years." The report’s details are truly shocking and reveal that environmental and workload pressures – particularly at the Regional Trauma Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospi-
tal in UK. It a ing u since Hosp Un sured limite work reer p docto ties e Als Chief and M acce lege Wh Down Com not h press With hat fi trying comm fill the This penin GP s more nity s This muni able By owne ecuti
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THE past year has been the most demanding members of Branch 730 had ever faced, it has been claimed. Outgoing Branch Secretary Damien Maguire made the comments while giving members an overview of the previous 12 months at the Branch AGM held at the Royal Victoria Hospital in November. He claimed this was due in part to austerity measures enforced by the Con-Dem government and being implemented by the Stormont Executive. The Belfast Health Trust had as a result made savings amounting to tens of millions of pounds. Mr Maguire pointed out that for NIPSA it was difficult to reconcile how such savings could be made without having a direct impact on services and the terms and conditions of members. He said that NIPSA members had reported that many posts were simply not being filled and that they were being expected to provide cover for the shortfall. Mr Maguire told the AGM that the Branch’s position was that this was “simply not sustainable” He said: “Against a more aggressive approach [by managehealthcare to the private sector. tal in Belfast – are the worst in the ment] to sickness, members In the last 12 months private UK. have to ensure they are not unIt adds: "A&E staff are now work- healthcare parasites have cost the dermining their own position by people of Northern Ireland more than ing under unsustainable pressures since the closure of the Belfast City £45 million. During the closure of the covering posts unnecessarily.” However, he pointed out that Belfast City Hospital A&E in 2011; Hospital A&E in 2011." detailed advice had been given some A&E services were being ofUnsurprisingly, this high-pressured, stressful work environment, fered – at a price – at Kingsbridge, a to members and “on a number of private hospital located on the same occasions the Branch was suclimited resources and punishing road as the City Hospital. cessful in tackling this issue”. workloads with no chance of caAll Assembly parties opportunistiMr Maguire told those present reer progression, has resulted in doctors choosing better opportuni- cally criticise the closure of A&E units at the AGM that the Branch had and the crisis within our emergency ties elsewhere. also been involved on a number Also unsurprisingly, Health Board services and this will become more of working groups particularly in virulent as election day looms. But, Chief Executive John Compton relation to Transforming Your in our view, this is usually nothing and Minister Poots both refuse to Care (TYC). more than a dishonest showboating accept the findings from the ColHe warned that TYC reprefor votes. lege of Emergency Medicine. sented “the biggest challenge to Local MLAs and councillors have When challenged about the Downe and Lagan Valley closures, shown time and again that when it Compton claimed "the changes did comes to real action, they do nothing to oppose health cuts. not have any significant impact on We cannot depend on them and pressures at other hospital sites." Branch 730’s position remains that With his Transforming Your Care we must continue to build a camhat firmly in place, Mr Compton is NIPSA Branch 113 held its paign to defend our health service. trying to convince us that GP and AGM at the Knockbreda JBO A strategy within this campaign community services will step in to in November. must include trade union co-ordifill the gap in service provision. The following people were This flies in the face of what is hap- nated industrial action backed by a elected to positions within the pening on the ground. Since 2011, united mass public campaign. branch: Secretary - Tiarnán MilWe believe that for a campaign to GP services have been slashed by lar; Chair - Brendan Meighan; succeed, it must discuss how it can more than £5 million with commuVice-Chair - Mark Drysdale; nity services cut by over £2 million. wield political pressure on the AsDeputy Secretary - Eithné Cossembly Executive. This has seen critical GP and comgrove; Organiser - Paul Turner; We would urge all NIPSA members munity services currently not being Equality - Rosaleen McAtamto quiz their local MLA and political able to meet demand. ney; Women's - Mary Russell; parties about their views on health By running down our publiclyULRs - Tony Rice; Andrew Conowned services, the Assembly Ex- cuts when candidates come knockroy. ecutive seem to be covertly moving ing on their doors chasing votes.
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Challenges posed by TYC heard by branch
NIPSA and its members” ”It will have a direct impact in hospitals and community settings especially the former as huge savings had been identified with the ‘shift left’ of monies to the community sector.” Mr Maguire described TYC as “nothing more than a vehicle for privatisation and the watering down of a range of services to the people of Northern Ireland”. He told members that the Branch had been made aware that more money than ever was being diverted to the private sector “with the 352 Group being a prime beneficiary”. Mr Maguire said NIPSA was totally opposed to the introduction of the private sector into the Health Service and vowed that Branch 730 “would continue to oppose this in the Trust where and when they could”. Mr Maguire also spoke about the introduction of Shared Services across the Belfast Trust and in particular difficulties with new systems including Finance Procurement and Logistics (FPL) and more recently HRPTS. He paid tribute to former and remaining Branch Officers for their contributions and for their work in representing members in disciplinary cases and grievances. Work, he added, that often went unnoticed. The AGM then voted for the following people: Chairperson: Ricki Reid Vice Chair: Gerry Largey Branch Secretaries & Equality Officers: Damien Maguire, Tanya Killen and Pat Lawlor Branch Organiser: Kevin Lawrenson Health & Safety Officer: Jonathon Giles Treasurer: Kevin Lawrenson Union Learning Representative: Charlotte Pollock
BRANCH 113 HOLDS AGM
Health & Safety Reps Eithné Cosgrove and Alex Parke remain in place for the second year of their three-year terms. New H&S Reps will be appointed by the Branch Organiser in due course. Thanks to Maria Morgan for giving an excellent presentation on the latest NIPSA research document and thanks to all outgoing officers for their work over the year.
WE SAY YES TO SAVING
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DETI failure to consult blasted
DETI’s unacceptable failure to consult with NIPSA was highlighted to the department’s Permanent Secretary and members of the ETI Committee at the Northern Ireland Assembly. CCNI’s future is likely to be a subject of debate at the Assembly in the coming months after the Minister has reached a decision. It is understood the union plans to address the ETI Committee “at the appropriate time to protect the interests of members and wider society”. Meanwhile, ICTU has backed NIPSA’s written submission to the DETI on the “future arrangements for consumer representation in Northern Ireland”. In a letter to the department’s Consumer Affairs Branch, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Peter Bunting said: “On behalf of the ICTU, our 33 affiliated trade unions and 220,000 members, I would like to endorse the response made by the public service union NIPSA. “Congress also has grave concerns over the process followed to date by DETI. We feel strongly that these concerns stem from failures of the preceding review of CCNI process which has led to this public consultation exercise.” NIPSA HQ Official Kim Graham added: “NIPSA members in the CCNI warmly welcome all the support fellow members have demonstrated at a very difficult time. This is merely the start of what could be a lengthy campaign to save up to 50 jobs and protect all of our interests as consumers in Northern Ireland. “The coming months will be tense as we await the Minister’s views on the outcome of the public consultation on the future of the CCNI.” She vowed: “NIPSA stands resolute in its support for this public body and is prepared for a sustained and worthy campaign to secure its continuity and strengthening.”
‘Extremely helpful staff’
Eamon Rafferty, NIPSA Representative in Armagh Planetarium, says: “I have had some dealings with the NI Consumer Council in the past and recently used the information on their website to change and obtain a reduction in my energy costs by changing my electricity supplier. “The information supplied was extremely easy and handy to use with all the relevant details and contacts contained in the article. “Also last year I was able to direct a family member to the CCNI to obtain advice on claiming through a travel insurance policy. “The CCNI offered advice on the claim and they were able to obtain a payment after months of being fobbed off by the insurance company. The staff were extremely helpful with professional advice.”
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NIPSA’s campaign to save the Consumer Council NI (CCNI) from abolition has continued to gather pace as the closing date for responses to the public consultation to the sponsoring Department (DETI) passed on January 17. The campaign has involved a multistranded strategy including the lobbying of each council, MLAs and political representatives as well as the Northern Ireland Local Government Association. Councils were asked by NIPSA to adopt the following resolution in support of the CCNI. It read: “The Council recognises the vital role that the Consumer Council for NI undertakes to protect consumer interests and believes that its current structure and role should be maintained and strengthened.” Banbridge, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, Limavady, Moyle as well as Newry and Mourne Councils confirmed they had adopted the NIPSA resolution. And to date, a significant number of councils have also submitted responses to the DETI public consultation backing the retention of the CCNI. TUS engagement with MLAs have confirmed party support from the UUP, SDLP, Sinn Fein, Alliance and Green parties, with pertinent questions and concerns over process failures raised with the DUP DETI Minister at the NI Assembly. Meanwhile, there has been increasing media coverage of the abolition threat to the CCNI and the general issue of consumer representation in Northern Ireland. The BBC and UTV have carried reports on the issue and a number of newspapers – including the Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, Strabane Weekly News, Limavady Northern Constitution and Daily Mirror – have carried articles of support for the continuation and strengthening of the CCNI in
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its current form. The union has welcomed this constructive media interest in helping to stimulate a growing understanding of the role played by NIPSA members working in CCNI in helping to protect the interests of those most vulnerable to rising food and fuel prices. In December, CCNI was awarded “super complainant” status for financial services by the UK Government. This means that the body, which can already bring super-complaints relating to other services to the Office of Fair Trading, will now have additional powers to bring issues which harm consumers’ interests caused by financial services such as banks, mortgages lenders, building societies, insurance companies, etc to the Financial Conduct Authority. The CCNI already plays a vital role in ensuring our voices are heard loud and clear in regulating price controls – these additional powers will strengthen the challenges the CCNI supports individuals to take against unfair treatment by financial services. Congratulating the CCNI on the achievement, NIPSA HQ Official Kim Graham told NIPSA News: “This well-deserved enhancement of powers for this NDPB, together with the transfer of responsibility for postal services to CCNI schedule from April 2014 recognises the excellent services provided to and on behalf of consumers by the NI Consumer Council. “The extension of its powers was granted on the basis of the CCNI demonstrating its independence, impartiality, integrity, expertise and vast experience resulting in a strong track record in representing consumers in Northern Ireland. “The CCNI is one of only four organisations across the UK to have received this
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designation and the only one with a specific focus on Northern Ireland consumers, which should send a very clear message to the DETI Minister to retain and strengthen this public body rather than abolish or dismantle it.” After examining the public consultation documents launched by the DETI Minister Arlene Foster in October 2013, NIPSA consulted with members of Branch 147 employed by the CCNI. This resulted in a 10-page submission to DETI by NIPSA in mid-January. The issues covered in the submission include: n Criticism of and questions over how DETI conducted the review of the CCNI which recommended its abolition and lead to the public consultation exercise. NIPSA also lodged a separate formal Freedom of Information request to DETI in mid-November seeking specific details on how the reviewer was appointed. The FOI Act 2000, which was implemented to make public sector bodies more open and accountable, stipulates that a response should be provided with 20 days. To date, only a holding response has been provided to NIPSA. n NIPSA’s belief that the manner in which the public consultation exercise was conducted showed bias and was based upon factually inaccurate, misrepresentative and incomplete information. n Lack of credibility of the outcomes of the preceding review of the CCNI. n Lack of consultation with NIPSA representatives and CCNI staff throughout the process to date. n Support for DETI Option 1 – the retention of the CCNI as a public body at arms length from Government (NDPB). n Why CCNI should not only be retained but also strengthened – its increasing powers and proven track record speak for
themselves. The NIPSA submission highlights actual savings to the Northern Ireland consumer in the past year, achieved by CCNI’s contribution to price controls including £20 per year saving to each NI Electricity customer totalling £15.63 million for each year of price control; more than £444,000 saving to local consumers as a direct result of complaint handling; and excerpting downward pressure to have boosted Northern Ireland’s GDP by £18 million each year from 2010-15. When measured against the CCNI’s total annual budget of £2.6 million, these statistics exemplify great value of public money. n More than 97% of 3,716 consumers helped by the CCNI are happy with how their complaints were handled. n CCNI’s fundamental focus is to protect, research, advance, challenge and educate at all levels on behalf of the public. NIPSA strongly argues that this function is entirely necessary and that it is appropriate the CCNI continues to serve the public as an accountable yet independent NDPB. n Options 2 and 3 as presented by DETI would undermine perceived and actual independence and credibility. Option 2 poses the risk of creating the conflict between profit motives and delivery of public value already seen in the NICS and across other parts of the public sector. Option 3 would dismantle the CCNI’s hugely successful integrated model of issue handling, where each of the functions support and informs the others in terms of education, policy development, outreach and complaint handling, to the distinct advantage of local consumers. n NIPSA also poses eight specific questions to DETI. The full submission can be found on the NIPSA website at http://www.nipsa.org.uk/Where-IWork/Civil-Service/Departments/Others.
Grateful for their considerate attitude’
NIPSA member Ed says: “I would like to share the following experience. I received invaluable assistance from a thoroughly adept member of CCNI staff after an issue arose between myself and two energy providers approx May – October 2012. “The work performed on my behalf by CCNI was a long drawn out procedure as a result of various issues by both energy providers including transitional periods. The CCNI kept me informed throughout and resolved the issue that benefited me and my family. “The CCNI has, I believe an extra ‘clout’ that the everyday consumer may not have, along with a wealth of experience to li-
aise with private businesses etc. “Without their help I would not have had the time, knowledge or experience to deal with my predicament and I am truly grateful for their considerate attitude, professionalism and willingness to seek resolution. “I ended up with unjustified charges being cleared and even attained a good will gesture for the inconvenience. I can recall few other instances where I received a similar level of quality service from anywhere else. “I know the staff member name and incident reference number but I am unsure if it is appropriate to name either. However, it is service that is warranted and should remain.”
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Pictured (above): NIPSA rep Graham Smith with members Eimear Duffy and Marion Cree. Pictured (bottom left): Consumer Council staff who are being supported by their union in trying to save the service.
‘Excellent co-operation and help’
Satisfied NIPSA member from HSCNI says: “The CCNI has very recently assisted me in claiming compensation for a flight delay. The help and co-operation I got from them was excellent and I would very strongly object to the abolition of the CCNI. “I had originally written to the Civil Aviation Authority in London requesting them to process my complaint with easyJet. CAA replied to say that Northern Ireland issues are dealt with by the CCNI. “I contacted the CCNI and they immediately took over the processing of my complaint, involving a 19-hour easyJet delay returning home from a holiday in Spain. “This had been on-going since June 2013. There have been many emails and telephone calls and eventually I have just found out this week from CCNI that easyJet have agreed to pay compensation of €800. “Naturally I’m delighted and I must say I wouldn’t have been able to process this without the CCNI.”
‘CCNI’s Plane Facts guide was very useful’
Better informed consumer from HSCNI says: “The CCNI published the very useful ‘Plane Facts – Your Essential Guide to Air Travel’ this year and it helped a lot of people. “I got it for my father who used it to find out his rights when his flight was cancelled. It is very difficult for the public to decipher the rules and regulations of the different airlines and this is a very concise, easily read document that gives guidance on your rights as a consumer. “I have shared it with several people who didn’t know what they were entitled if, for example, luggage goes missing etc. The airlines don’t make information clear or easily accessible.” The guide is available at: www.consumercouncil.org.uk/publications/?id=1055
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Colombia: End violence and persecution of trade unionists
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2014 has started with fear and sadness in Colombia as attacks and criminalisation of social protests continue. With yet another trade union leader viciously attacked, IndustriALL Global Union joins Colombian unions in denouncing the violence.
TRADE unionists in Colombia are consistently subjected to violence and persecution. The latest victim at a peaceful demonstration is the president of CUT and SINTRAELECOL-Caldas, Arturo Oscar Orozco, who was brutally attacked by the anti-riot police and remains in hospital in a very serious condition. Four leaders of another IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Union Sindical Obrera de la Industría del Petroleo, unfairly detained since December 4, 2013 are subject to threats by paramilitary and mafia gangs in the prison yards. The attacks, displacements, threats, assassinations
as well as the criminalization of all social protest, continues, corroborating the Government’s lack of political will to guarantee the exercise of freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike in Colombia. With again reports of other trade union leaders viciously attacked and murdered since the beginning of 2014, IndustriALL Global Union joins Colombian unions in denouncing the institutional violence and impunity. Send a protest letter to President Santos at: http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=2141
‘EUR ON THE WRONG ROAD’ WARNS TOP UNION LEADER
Austerity policies creating huge divisions in society, says ETUC chief
AFTER more than five years of a twin economic and social crisis, austerity policies have failed in Europe. In the EU, economies continue to stagnate, while current levels of unemployment remain at 12%. Often those with a job find themselves in a situation of precarious work with no social protection. Educational opportunities are denied to millions of young people, who, in many cases are forced into emigration. In addition, we have seen divisions open up in Europe; inequalities between people, certainly, but also clear divisions between member states. Social cohesion has been eroded. There are some who claim that the worst of the crisis is over. It is hard to agree with this assessment, given the current rates of joblessness and examples of inequality we still witness in the EU today. Economic recovery is welcome, of course, but it is not acceptable if this is achieved at the expense of citizens. The crisis cannot be solved if it does not contain a sound basis in social policy. This represents a threat to the economic, social and political development of Europe. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is convinced that the EU has the potential to combat the crisis. That potential already exists here in Europe, but risks being neglected by leaders and governments who seem determined to push ahead with their current route, instead of looking for a new path. The trade union movement is striving to unlock this potential; which, sadly, continues to be underused, or undervalued, by many of today’s leaders. It is a potential borne out of a strong industrial base, good public and private sector services, a well-educated population with access to innovative research and educational institutions, and a fair and inclusive society. The EU must mobilise its strengths for a better, more equal, prosperous, democratic and peaceful future. The European Trade Union Confederation was founded in 1973, and over these past four decades we have made many significant gains in advancing an equitable society in Europe. But
By Bernadette Ségol
for a new path for Europe. It is in response to failed policies, both economic and social, that ETUC is calling for this new direction, this new path for Europe. Instead now, as the crisis continues, many European of further cutbacks and austerity, we are propospoliticians seem determined to roll-back on these ing an alternative; an investment plan with a longadvances. This must not be allowed to happen. term perspective that seeks to avoid a lost We in the trade union movement will continue to decade of mass unemployment, precarious work resist any moves that seek to destroy the social and tax injustice. dimension of the European project. In an era when €1,000 billion has been spent There have been many social advances made to save the financial sector, and the same amount since European integration began, but since the is lost each year in tax evasion and fraud, it is start of the crisis in 2008, the social dimension of now time to spend money on a sustainable future the EU has been non-existent. If European lead- for European citizens, who have endured much ers continue to ignore the real needs of people, hardship these past years. not only will the EU continue to stagnate, but it Our plan envisages an investment of 2% of Euwill also lose the trust and support of its citizens. ropean Union GDP over a ten-year period. Such There has been much speculation about the an investment would help in building up a strong rise of far-right and populist parties in Europe, industrial base, good public and private services, and how that will affect the working of the Europroperly functioning state systems and innovative pean Parliament, should voters chose to express research and educational institutions. their dissatisfaction that way when they vote for It is this level of investment that is needed at MEPs in May 2014. But we trust in the European this time to give our ailing economies a boost, to citizens: re-installing borders, is not a solution to reverse stagnation and give people hope and unemployment; in a globalised world isolation has confidence for the future. nothing to offer to future generations. Our counThis is the task facing all of us who care about tries are too small to fight global competition. the European project today; trade unions, citiThey must find a positive way to economic and zens, the EU institutions and political leaders. It is social integration. a sad fact that many feel let down by the policies of the EU at present. But this does not mean it Why A New Path For Europe Is Needed has to be that way. European trade unions are To this end, the ETUC has launched its maniproposing an alternative, a new path that allows festo for the European Parliament elections. This its citizens to share in a different direction. Eurodocument calls on candidates to endorse policies pean recovery is not just about keeping markets that uphold and foster the social dimension of the open, it is also about social protection and coheEuropean Union; a Europe that provides its citision amongst its people. That is what we will conzens with quality jobs and a sound future that tinue to fight for. seeks an end to austerity, uncertainty and diviBernadette Ségol is the Secretary General of sion. Effectively, we are calling on European citi- the European Trade Union Confederation. Prezens to vote for candidates that will change the viously she was the head of UNI Europa, the way the EU is being run. European trade union federation for services Regretfully, those same citizens have an inand communication which represents 7 milcreased sense that Europe is not been run on lion workers and 330 affiliated trade unions. their behalf; and this feeling of loss will continue One of her main focuses is wage equality in as long as there is a sense that its political leadEurope. ers are not prepared to change course. This is This column was first published by New Europe why we in the trade union movement are fighting
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‘Blood bricks’ abuse UK construction firms working in India are to be targeted in an effort to improve the conditions of brick workers in the country. Campaigners claim that terrible and often illegal working conditions are found at Indian brick kilns including 1218 hour days and use of child labour with the bricks produced used to construct offices and factories as well as homes in the country’s booming economy. Now, an international alliance of trade unions, Union Solidarity International (USI), is launching a campaign - Blood Bricks - with the aim of forcing companies to carry out checks. Andrew Brady, director of global trade union alliance Union Solidarity International, said the campaign, to be
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launched next week, would target multinational construction firms, including UK firms, working in the Indian construction market. Brady said that the 2006 Companies Act as well as international law gave companies including architects, engineers and other consultants, a responsibility to check on the human rights implications of their work. He said: “We want to challenge the companies involved in India to ensure they are vigorously checking whether their supply chains are free of what we’re calling ‘blood bricks’.” “They should be taking steps to ensure there are no human rights abuses and we want to ensure they’re complying with UK law as well as Indian law,” he added.
BATTLE IN BRUSSELS Tories sour European relations in bitter fight with Ukip over free movement of labour and their demands to weaken UK workers’ rights even further
ARE the disputes between the coalition government and the European Commission part of a phoney war or a slide to separation? Time will tell, but there is a real fear that current policies will propel the UK out of the EU. The Observer’s headline on January 12 (‘Defiant Brussels slaps down British threats to rewrite immigration rules’) highlights the growing rift between the current government and the European Commission. Many, even in the Conservative Party, are worried that this rift with the Commission – which extends over free movement of labour to the governments of Bulgaria and Poland – will render ineffective the government’s diplomatic efforts to secure support for repatriation of powers or widespread deregulation. Pragmatists and europhiles in the Coalition worry that relationships are now so bad that the government’s avowed strategy of negotiating reforms to the EU so that they could be endorsed by an in-out referendum in 2017 will founder because the rift will make it impossible to secure concessions. They fear that the government’s bull in a china shop approach, and the hostile reaction it is generating from European politicians, will propel Britain out of the EU. And whilst those arguing for an amicable divorce maintain we will easily be able to survive outside the EU, if it results from an acrimonious slanging match, the only people to suffer will be the British people.
By Owen Tudor
dent Viviane Reding (like Schultz a possible future Commission President) – actually helps Cameron demonstrate to Conservative voters flirting with Ukip that he is ‘battling In part, these rows are the inevitable consequence, as British In- Brussels for Britain’ (George Osborne’s attempts to do the same fluence’s Peter Wilding puts it, of when he is only ‘batting for bankers’ David Cameron trying to ride two horses at once. On the one hand, he in the City have been less popular). But when even the eurosceptiwants support from European govcally-inclined William Hague says ernments for his plans to repatriate ‘we have to be realistic‘ over his own decisions over workers’ rights, and backbench MPs’ demands for a to restrict the free movement of Westminster veto over all EU legislabour – one of the founding principles of the European Union – as well lation, the strains in the policy are clearly showing. as endorse widespread deregulaOne lesson of all this is that Eurotion. pean political leaders shouldn’t On the other, he wants to shoot make the mistake that they can satiUkip’s fox (obviously he’d prefer to ate the eurosceptic beast in Britain. hunt it with hounds, but knows the The appetite of Ukip and Cameron’s British people would draw a line on backbench europhobes won’t be that one) by getting tough with Eusatisfied with any concessions Gerrope. Shouting at ‘Brussels bureaucrats’ man or Italian politicians are minded to offer, so they might as well give and slandering the Poles, Romaniup. ans and Bulgarians in public while We’re probably still not quite at the British diplomats dish out bucket stage we were in when Labour won loads of Ferrero Rocher in private the 1997 election and Tony Blair was isn’t a recipe for winning friends in met with undisguised relief by the the Council of Ministers, although rest of an EU tired of being hectored Cameron has managed to get the by Mrs Thatcher and then the subEU signed up to the deregulatory ject of continued eurosceptic sniping REFIT strategy (although the Comunder John Major. mission claims it won’t deregulate Labour’s adoption of the Social anything that actually matters.) Cynics will suggest that provoking Chapter, and avowed commitment to Europe, allowed Labour to move angry reactions from European sostraight into a leadership position in cialists like Social Affairs Commisnegotiating the Lisbon Agenda, but sioner Laszlo Andor and European gradually the default euroscepticism Parliament President Martin Schulz of trumpeting ‘British national inter– and even fellow right-wing politiests’ and the reluctance to embrace cians like Commission Vice-Presithe European social model (eg over
the adoption of the information and consultation directive and the temporary agency workers directive, and the maintenance of the working time directive opt out) turned the relationship sour. But Labour ought to be thinking now of what a similar European honeymoon might allow it to do if it wins the next election. Not in terms of further concessions to narrow nationalism, but in terms of how Europe could be persuaded to change course in ways that would benefit British people and the British economy. One example would be pushing for the New Path for Europe investment strategy that the European Trade Union Confederation is proposing which could mobilise idle corporate cash reserves to create 11 million decent jobs across the EU, especially for young people. An early decision to join in with the Robin Hood Tax that will by then be in place across most of continental Europe’s money markets would help cement a new EU-UK relationship (as well as yielding up to £20bn a year in tax revenues for the Exchequer, some of that reclaimed from the rest of the EU.) That would be worth the tears currently being shed over the rows between government ministers and European politicians and commissioners. Owen Tudor is head of the TUC’s European Union and International Relations Department. This post first appeared on the TUC’s Touchstone Blog
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A CHALLENGE TO BUILD AN ALTERNATE VISION SPECIAL FOCUS ON WORKER CO-OPERATIVES
ACROSS the globe neo-liberal economics continues to see increases in inequality, poverty, social instability, new imperialist adventures and environmental degradation. In Northern Ireland the welcome transition from violence to a functioning assembly is accompanied by a second transition from an economic framework formulated upon the post-war social contract, to one that is dominated by market agendas and neo-liberal principles. In the south we are witnessing a fast-track transition to the same neo-liberalised economy using the financial crisis as cover. An insidious media, business, political and third sector consensus has emerged which seeks to ‘re-balance’ the economy by selling off state services making the country more ‘favourable’ to foreign direct investment through increased corporate welfare and a concerted ideological attack on workers, the unemployed and the vulnerable. Such political and institutional addiction to a failed neo-liberal orthodoxy only guarantees future economic and social insecurity. If we want a balanced, stable and sustainable island economy, it is time to start building cooperative and socialised alternatives, and that is what Trademark, the anti-sectarian unit of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is attempting, in our way, to do. In parallel with our traditional role, we recognise the importance of forging links with other progressive social movements that seek to create a more equal and democratic world. This of course must include the cooperative movement. In Ireland, north and south the co-operative movement comprises credit unions, agricultural co-operatives, housing associations and the cooperative retail movement with billions in assets, tens of thousands of employees and with the contribution of the credit union movement, millions of members. Worker owned co-operatives, however, are almost entirely absent. It is clear that worker-owned and worker-managed co-operatives must be part of a new alternative economic landscape. They can offer an alternative means at creating dignified and socially-useful employment that is democratically controlled by those whose labour cre-
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A group of worker-owners from the Falls and Shankill Roads, set about setting up Belfast’s first interface workers’ co-operative, the Belfast Cleaning Society ates the wealth. (www.belfastcleaningsociety.com). In order to create more sustainable, independAlice McLarnon, a trade unionist, community ent and democratic work practices, the model of activist and co-worker, was one of its founding cooperative development needs to expand beyond retail, social finance and farming, just as the members. Describing the group as “unionised, focus on social enterprises generally worker-controlled and democratic”, needs to seriously look at worker she said workers pay themselves management and ownership. above the industry average Co-operative forms of eco“while re-investing THEIR nomic activity deserve to be profits in THEIR future”. part of the creation of a Following the successful sustainable economy, establishment of the first that minimises the ‘leakco-operative, Trademark age’ of revenue streams became involved in assist(profits, wages, assets ing the setting up and deand credit creation) from velopment of a number of the economy. co-operative start-ups. In 2009, we undertook This led to the establishresearch into worker coment of the all-island Workoperatives and the contriers’ Co-operative Network bution they might make in (www.workerscooperativenettackling inequality and prowork.org) who along with the demoting democracy. velopment of inter-cooperation are The research showed that lobbying to secure progressive changes worker co-operatives can distinguish to Irish and British law on co-operatives. themselves as democratic and community foWorker co-operatives can make a difference cused and can contribute to a co-operative ‘combecause of the presence of political consciousmonwealth’ in partnership with other social movements that can act as an alternative to neo- ness expressed through core values – values such as the sovereignty of labour, the subordiliberalism. nate nature of capital, democracy, inter cooperaTrademark took a strategic decision to begin a tion and sustainability. Worker Co-operative Development Programme Co-operatives offer opportunities for political with the initial focus on interfaces in Belfast. The organisation felt that the development of Interface engagement and expose workers to tangible democratic experience. In distinguishing themco-operative structures held potential to resist selves as democratic, and as community-foand challenge sectarianism by bringing workers together daily to work democratically for joint ben- cused, worker co-operatives offer new experiences and can act as spaces of collecefit in which values of solidarity and democracy tivism and social solidarity. can replace the dynamics of suspicion and misThe system that is in crisis is not absolute. It is trust always resisted, challenged and transformed. Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber made the headWhether in the struggles of labour against capilines at the much-vaunted MTV Europe showcase held in Belfast in 2011, but a perhaps more tal or in those co-operative spaces where the markets grip is loosened, we are challenged to significant event was taking place backstage. look beyond the system for answers. We can perhaps look to alternative structures where participative democracy is practised and where collective forms of ownership still exist.
By Stephen Nolan, Trademark
‘Capitalism is not a success. It is not intelligent, it is not beautiful, it is not just, it is not virtuous – and it doesn't deliver the goods. In short, we dislike it, and we are beginning to despise it. But when we wonder what to put in its place, we are extremely perplexed’ - John Maynard Keynes
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Organise to protect services, jobs, pay and pensions YOU HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY...SUPPORT YOUR UNION AND YOUR COLLEAGUES