SIPTU produce YouTube film – ‘Communities Uniting’

SIPTU have produced a short video for YouTube as part of their community campaign in the north.

The short film which is called ‘Communities Uniting’ gives a brief overview of the Trade Union’s campaign, interviewing a number of community workers who explain the invaluable work carried out by their groups, the threat faced by cuts and the importance of community organisations, workers, volunteers and those who use the services joining together to protect these invaluable projects.



Jennie Cornell of the Greater Shankill Community Safety Network said,

“If these cuts are coming, which they clearly are, then the only way we can resist them is to speak with one voice and that would be why I joined SIPTU and why I would be encouraging others in the community sector in my area to join SIPTU.”

Finbarr Kelly, Youth Worker with Tar Isteach said,

“Without many of these community organisations up and going there wouldn’t be anywhere for young people to go, there wouldn’t be anywhere for them to get small achievements which builds their confidence, that makes them into better people.”

SIPTU facilitate Belfast Mayor’s historic visit to Art Ability

SIPTU’s campaign to reverse the decision to cut funding to Art Ability continues.  Thankfully as a result of the Campaign some element of funding has been secured but not sufficient to ensure it can continue to cater for the needs of the most vulnerable in society.  Indeed 4 members of staff have been forced to seek alternative employment despite having initially worked on without pay to protect the needs of the clients of the centre.

Art Ability provides training and support for 48 young people aged between six and 16 as well as 24 adults.

Manager Richard Long said they would need around £150,000 in the next three years to continue operating.

"We are a cross-community organisation and have children and adults from right across Belfast," he said. "If this place closes then there will be no respite for families and people with learning difficulties will have to stay in their own homes."

(Belfast Mayor Niall O'Donnghaile at Art Ability)

Martin O’Rourke Lead Organiser stated.

“SIPTU wrote to Belfast City Council prior to the election of the Lord Mayor requesting that the first official community function of the new Lord Mayor would be a visit to Art Ability.

Following his election as Belfast's youngest ever Lord Mayor, Niall O'Donnghaile confirmed his acceptance of the invitation and became the first-ever republican first citizen to visit the loyalist Shankill Road in an official capacity.“

SIPTU members from Denmark Street Community Centre gave up their time to assist with the visit, to ensure the clients, families, and visitors needs were met during the engagement.

The Lord Mayor Mr O'Donnghaile stated:


"This was one of the first invitations that I received since becoming Mayor and I was really, really eager to do it. Art Ability is an excellent facility and I am really happy to be here.

"I have relatives with learning difficulties and I appreciate the support and respite that places like this give to families.

"I have listened to the concerns and will do all in my tenure as Mayor to give them a lift."

Also in attendance yesterday was Jim McVeigh, a SIPTU Community Sector Activist and Councillor for Lower Falls. Jim stated,

“It is vital that people working in the Community Sector come together under a trade union banner and ensure they enjoy the same collective voice as public sector workers.”

Art Ability chairman Albert Hewitt, who is also a SIPTU activist who works with loyalist ex-prisoners on the Shankill, said they had no qualms about welcoming a Sinn Fein man to the area.

"It doesn't worry me the fact that he is Sinn Fein," he said. "The fact that he has come here and supported us and brought such publicity is fantastic.

"We didn't know who to turn to or where to go, thankfully SIPTU came to the rescue and they have worked tirelessly to protect Art ability and the vital services provided by the Community Sector."

Funding for the centre, which provides respite for parents and young adults with disabilities, was stopped in March by the then Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey.

Meanwhile, SIPTU organiser Teri Cregan said:

"There has been a blatant disregard for the impact that cutting services such as Art Ability has on parents who depend on the respite, but most importantly on the children and young adults that use the centre.

"Art Ability helps these users lead a much fuller life and it enables them to integrate more fully into their communities and interact much better with other users.

"The callous decision to cease this funding says a great deal about the lack of recognition of what centers, such as Art Ability, mean to local communities and how they help the most vulnerable in our society."

Care Homes at Threat

Martin O'Rourke
SIPTU Organiser

Vulnerable elderly people and workers are those who will suffer most if the private care group Southern Cross is forced to close.

The group runs 25 care homes across the north, and a further 725 across England, Scotland and Wales.

The company's financial difficulty, it's very future has come into the spotlight this week again when it became evident that they could only pay part of their sizeable annual rent bill of £230million. Southern Cross have been allowed 4 months to come up with a long term solution to their financial woes but it is feared that up to 200 of their care homes are at threat of closure.

To maximise profits the company decided to sell the properties it owns, lease them back, and take the money it received from the sale as profit but are now not in a position to pay the rent on them.

What has been allowed to happen is a disgrace and highlights the absolute failings of privatisation, and has signalled one of the many huge pitfalls in David Cameron's notion of a 'Big Society.'

Care homes and care for our elderly should not be subject to fluctuation in the markets, and rise and fall in demand; they are not factories but an essential part of our community that should be focussed on providing world class care for our elderly and not in meeting financial targets and recording profits.

SIPTU hope that a solution can be found to ensure that all care homes are kept open, and all jobs saved, but we also hope it highlights the obvious failings in privatising something as important as care for our elderly, and hope that long term lessons can be learnt in our approach to how we look after the most vulnerable in our society.

 

New Mayor of Belfast to visit cross community disability project



In one of his first public engagements the new Mayor of Belfast will today (Wednesday 1st June) visit a community project for children and young adults with disabilities in East Belfast. Sinn Fein councillor, Niall Ó Donnghaile will visit the Art Ability project in Agnes Street, just off the Shankill Road where he will meet users and staff of the project which provides respite for parents and young adults with disabilities. Funding for the project was halted by the health department just two months ago.

Councillor O’Donnghaile was born and raised in the Short Strand area of the city where he is well known for his community work and, at 25 years old, is Belfast's youngest ever Mayor.  

The Mayor will also meet members and representatives from SIPTU from both sides of the community who are working together to fight the cuts to funding for Art Ability and other organisations that provide essential services to the most vulnerable in society.

According to SIPTU Organiser, Teri Cregan, the staff at the project continued to work on a voluntary basis after funding was cut but have since been forced to look for work elsewhere.

“There has been a blatant disregard for the impact that cutting services such as Art Ability has on parents who depend on the respite, but most importantly on the children and young adults that use the centre.

“Art Ability helps these users lead a much fuller life and it enables them to integrate more fully into their communities and interact much better with other users.

“The callous decision to cease this funding says a lot about the lack of recognition of what centres such as Art Ability mean to local communities and how they help the most vulnerable in our society,” Teri Cregan said.

Video of Belfast May Day March 2011

Boots workers deserve to be treated with Dignity and Respect

Martin O’Rourke

SIPTU Organiser

Despite achieving record profits of over £1billion last year, Boots have threatened to cut premium pay and cease payment for breaks for their workers from June 1^st 2011.

Ireland’s largest trade union SIPTU who represent Boots workers are totally opposed to this decision which is punishing the very people who have helped Boots achieve their huge profit.

Rather than being rewarded for their hard work, dedication and professionalism in the workplace, and sharing in the success, Boots is actually withdrawing basic employment terms and conditions.

We will campaign against this, having already organised days of action outside the Cookstown and Coleraine Boots stores, and we will be organising more in the near future.

Over 100 Boots workers have already registered grievances in relation to the management’s unacceptable proposal. We do not believe that the management are dealing with grievances in the appropriate manner and we will be seeking the assistance of the industrial relations machinery of the state to resolve this issue to our member’s satisfaction.

We ask for you to join with us in supporting the Boots workers in protecting their basic employment rights and affording them the dignity and respect that they deserve in the workplace.

Please show your support for Boots workers by registering your complaint with the local Boots manager.

Coleraine Boots workers concerned at Proposed Cut to Premium Pay

SIPTU organised a day of action on Monday 23^rd of May at the Boots store in Coleraine in relation to the employer’s stated intent to cut premium pay and cease payment for breaks from June 1st.

SIPTU the trade union said that workers decided to call days of action outside various Boots stores across the local economy to advise the public of the chemist’s proposals and to seek public support for the campaign against the proposals.

Boots workers attended and engaged with the public on the day of action.

(SIPTU activists at the Coleraine Boots store)

SIPTU Lead Organiser Martin O’Rourke said,

“The workers concerned will be utilising the industrial relations machinery of the state to seek the re-instatement of the agreed terms and conditions of employment. 

Other “Days of Action” have been arranged for various Boots stores across the north.”