The Unite ROI Daily News Digest
Tuesday’s UNITE Daily News Digest looks at the bailout
costs, an increasing steel hand of the Troika, a survey on house
prices and a score card for government on children’s
services...
Government seeks cuts in cost of
bailout
The government is to seek cuts in the cost of
the bank bailout by borrowing at a lower rate from the European
Stability Fund as opposed to the way it is handled at the
moment. This ignores the rather large elephant that more and
more people are seeing in the room that this is not the debt of the
Irish people at all.
Irish Times -
Cost cuts sought in bailout
Campaign – http://www.notourdebt.ie/
House price crash brings homes within
reach of average salaries
A major new international house price survey
has suggested that the cost of buying a home in Ireland has now
fallen from a high of ten times annual salary to a current average
of just over three times that figure. It does not highlight
the downside of negative equity which now blights so many of those
who own the homes, nor the inability of most to secure financing to
buy.
Irish Independent -
House price survey
Troika’s steel hand is beginning to
show
The Irish Times suggests today that despite a
low key and seemingly supportive approach by the Troika, behind the
scenes there is increasing doubt over Ireland’s ability to continue
the social experiment that is austerity. Comments over the
weekend about threats and consequences point to a hardening of
attitude but what that means for Irish workers and citizens is not
at all clear.
Irish Times -
Troika steel hand beginning to show
Bank unions raise delays with
troika
Bank unions are to write to the Troika
outlining the innocence of staff in the calamitous collapse of the
Irish banking system, and blaming government for the delay in
restructuring which they seemed to be blaming on unions and
management rather than government last week. An agreement on
voluntary redundancy was stopped by the Department of Finance last
year while the Unite dispute with EBS also seems centred on
decisions taken by the Department of Finance outside of negotiation
between the parties.
Irish Examiner -
Bank unions write to Troika
Oil embargo will increase
prices
The government is supporting the Eu embargo on
oil exports from Iran, even though it recognises the likely impact
on consumer of increased costs. The embargo is part of a
campaign to prevent Iran developing its nuclear capability which
would in all honesty represent an even bigger problem.
RTE - Iran embargo to
increase fuel costs
Mixed messages continue on state sell
offs
Different day, same headline as yesterday Pat
Rabbitte insisted the government did still intend to sell off a
minority stake in the ESB. Whether this ever comes to pass in
current market conditions or how the proceeds of any sale could be
justified against the loss of future earnings and energy security
are not clear.
Irish Examiner -
Government restates commitment to sale of ESB stake
Government scored on children’s
issues
The government has been told it must do better
in relation to the services offered to children. A group of
more than 90 organisations dealing with children have grouped
together to issue a report card on the promises, successes and
failures in government policy on children across a range of
areas
Irish Examiner –
Government scored on children’s issues
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The UNITE Republic of Ireland daily news
digest wants to hear from you about events, recruitment successes
and news stories in your area.
Contact us through e-mail:
rob.hartnett@unitetheunion.org
All the UNITE news releases are on the website
at www.unitetheunion.org<http://www.unitetheunion.org/ireland
To unsubscribe to this bulletin please reply
to this message with unsubscribe in the subject line
Monday’s UNITE Daily News Digest looks
at the looming impact of mass retirements from the public sector,
threats over the campaign for non payment of Anglo debt and further
ill winds blowing around the banking sector...
DAA Emergency Staff vote for action
over staff shortages
The recruitment embargo in the public sector
and the impending retirement of large numbers has led to staff
shortages in emergency services at Dublin Airport. Staff have
voted in favour of industrial action should the issue not be
resolved.
Irish Independent -
Emergency staff vote for action over personnel shortages
Teacher departures will lead to
disruption
An estimated 1,600 teachers will leave schools
in the coming weeks as part of the public service retirement
‘push’. That number is almost 50 per cent more than expected
and will lead to significant class disruption at a time when pupils
are preparing for exams. Government sources are quoted as
saying a targeted teacher recruitment campaign will be needed this
year as a result.
Irish Times -
Teacher crisis to follow retirements
Banks told to cut staff by
troika
The Independent is reporting that the Troika
warned the government that plans for restructuring, and wholesale
job losses, in the banking sector have been moving too slowly and
that progress is required before the next financial ‘check’ in
April.
Irish Independent -
Bailout chiefs order banks to cut 2,500 workers
Threats issued over non payment of
Anglo debt
EU sources have suggested to government here
that any move to avoid payment of Anglo debts would have
repercussions. Threats to force payment are to be expected
but also put against a context of Greek debts being written down at
the same time as a result of government and people mounting valid
protest.
Irish Examiner - Non payment warning
over Anglo Debt
Campaign – http://www.notourdebt.ie/
Whistleblower case raised by
TD’s
The case of ‘whistleblower’ Louise Bayliss
raised here on Friday has led to calls from a number of TD’s for
her case to be reviewed. The worker who revealed mistreatment
of patients in mental health institutions has not had her contract
renewed as an advocacy worker amid suggestions that she was causing
‘too much trouble’.
Irish Times -
TD's in call to reinstate Bayliss
Anger at Drogheda rally
A crowd of 700 protested on Saturday against
cutbacks at the Drogheda Cottage Hospital. Three government
TD’s were refused permission to address the rally after failing to
sign a pledge to oppose the cuts. Two other local TD’s did
sign the pledge. One of those refused claims to have been
struck at the protest.
Irish independent -
TD claims he was struck at hospital protest
Mixed messages continue on state sell
offs
There was still confusion last night over
whether the government was going to complete a U-turn on the sale
of a stake in the ESB, and turn its attention instead towards Bord
Gais or Coillte.
Irish Independent -
Mixed message on state sell offs
Vita Cortex enters sixth
week
The protest by workers at Vita Cortex over
Nama complicity in refusing them redundancy has entered its sixth
week. Talks at the Labour relations Commission were adjourned
again on Saturday night. Meanwhile pressure is mounting on
Taoiseach Enda Kenny to address the failure of the Connaught
Telegraph newspaper and its bankers to pay wages and holiday money
owed to six staff made redundant in November.
Irish Examiner –
Vita Cortex enters sixth week of protest
Friday’s UNITE Daily News Digest looks
at a major protest over school cuts, trouble over bins in Dublin,
the troika and how emigration is really nothing other than a
lifestyle choice in the eyes of Minister Noonan...
Major support for schools
protest
As many as 4,000 parent teachers and children
from schools in disadvantaged areas protested yesterday outside the
Department of Education. The government has rowed back on
immediate plans to cut funding to DEIS schoold that would have
meant the loss of hundreds of teaching posts but it has ordered a
review of their continued support.
Irish Times -
Schools protest jams Dublin
Campaign to stop Anglo Debt
repayment
If you have not seen it yet, check out the
website of the campaign to halt repayment of Anglo debt.
Public pressure can work if pointed in the right direction.
Campaign website – http://www.notourdebt.ie/
Irish Times –
Anglo funding costs
Shoving people back to
work
The economics editor of the Irish times has
written a major piece this morning on the need to balance support
and incentive within the Irish Labour market. Writing ahead
of an announcement next week on a new employment and entitlements
service, he points to the example of Switzerland and suggests that
unemployment benefits should be front loaded in the early months
and tapered off to ‘shove’ people back to employment.
Creating jobs would also be a good idea, of course.
Irish Times –
Balance between support and incentive
Emigration as a lifestyle
choice
Unite has long held the view that the main
plank of government policy with regards to employment was to
encourage emigration. Now we realise, thanks to Finance
Minister Michael Noonan that all along people were leaving Ireland
because they ‘wanted to see the world.’ Denying that
emigration was down to unemployment or the economic hammer of
austerity, Noonan said yesterday that many people just wanted to
“get off the island for a while and see new places.” I
suppose in famine times he might have felt they just wanted a more
exotic menu.
Irish Independent –
Fury over Noonan emigration comments
Troika reports austerity is
working
The troika was in town and reported yesterday
that austerity measures were working to reduce Ireland’s
deficit. The EU commission representative then said that of
course they wanted to help the most vulnerable in society.
She then called for evidence of hardship so that help could be
forthcoming. This caused justifiable anger among community,
social justice groups and trade unions who have spoken of little
other than the devastating impact on those groups in their meetings
with officials. Some might say they were only looking at the
numbers and not hearing the cries.
Irish Examiner –
Troika causes anger with comments on vulnerable
Union members urged to support
Drogheda march
Trade union members in and around Drogheda are
urged to support a march tomorrow in protest at threatened cutbacks
at the Drogheda Cottage Hospital
Drogheda Independent –
March to oppose health cuts
Councillors meet on bins
row
Dublin City Council will meet on Monday to
discuss growing unease over the privatised bin collection service
being operated by Greyhound Recycling. The company yesterday
conceded that the upfront €100 could be split in two but even
loaded this with conditions. People are unhappy.
Irish Independent -
Councils to meet on bins row
Protecting whistleblowers
The campaign to protect whistleblowers became
more urgent yesterday when Louise Bayliss who had led criticism of
treatment of mental health patients was told her contract with the
Irish Advocacy network was not being renewed. Amid a flurry
of denials the two were connected, it still highlights the courage
needed to expose wrong doing.
Irish Times -
Contract ends for Bayliss
Thursday’s UNITE Daily News Digest
looks at stopping the Anglo payments, asks for joined up thinking
in government, fears the troika and gives credit where it’s due to
workers in the export sector...
Campaign launched to stop Anglo Debt
repayment
A major campaign backed by 20 trade union,
community, economic and social justice groups has launched http://www.notourdebt.ie/ a
lobbying platform to stop repayment of tens of Billions of public
money to unsecured bondholders. Unite is a key mover in this
campaign, the main details of which we carried in yesterday’s
digest.
Examiner –
Campaign launched to stop Anglo payments
Irish Times –
Campaign launched
Campaign website – http://www.notourdebt.ie/
Plans expected on single welfare
payment
The government is expected to bring forward
proposals as early as March for the consolidation of most social
welfare payments under one means tested heading. This could
include jobseekers, disability, one parent and many other
payments.
Examiner -
Plans expected on single welfare payment
Licensing changes proposed on TV’s and
online
Plans have been put forward to replace the TV
license with another ‘premises’ levy applying to homes and
businesses regardless of whether they have a television. It
is intended to counter the ‘free’ viewing of online programming
which is becoming more prevalent. No mention though of a
national broadband network which would make such a payment more
palatable and create many thousands of jobs. So much for
joined up thinking in government.
Irish Independent -
TV license charges put forward
Howlin stands firm on increments in
face of FG ire
Brendan Howlin yesterday defended the payment
of increments to lower paid public sector workers, saying it would
be unfair to stop them with higher grades already having received
theirs. Fine Gael have been making noises from the
backbenches about stopping the increments. Echoes here of the
EBS dispute where one law is OK for those on higher pay but not for
those seem to be considered as ‘less deserving’.
Irish Times -
Howlin defends public sector pay
Troika to report today
It is like the last days of a school term,
waiting for the report to drop through the letterbox. Later
today the troika will deliver their verdict on what has been the
first year of the bailout. There is likely to be a return to
that old FF election phrase a lot done, more to do. We have
seen the impact of austerity in terms of increased unemployment,
increased emigration, increased poverty and increased
hopelessness. Today we will hear that it is all needed in
order to reduce our deficit. We will then hear that we are
only part way there, and perhaps some of what we can expect to have
to endure as part of our ongoing role as a national social
experiment.
RTE – Troika to deliver
end of year report
Trade surplus hits record
high
December’s trade surplus hit a record high
with exports up by 5% and imports down by 6%. This could be
seen as reflecting the impact of lower wages and consumption that
will ultimately prove disastrous but we recognise good news on the
other side of the equation. All we have to hope is that the
efforts of workers in the export sector are fairly recognised.
Irish Times -
Exports up and imports down
Online changing the way government
works
It may seem a simple thing to say but the
internet has changed things. Yesterday’s protest by
Wikipedia, Google and Facebook was a powerful message that
legislation needs to be carefully thought through. This
article is a good overview of the reasons behind it.
Bloomberg -
Online protest upends traditional lobbying
Labour leadership at stake in
London
A major battle over the future of the Labour
Party in Britain has raged through the week. Trade union
leaders have been openly critical of leader Ed Milliband’s stance
on bosses pay and austerity. It all started with this article
in the Guardian by Unite General Secretary, Len McCluskey.
Guardian -
Milliband leading Labour to destruction
Wednesday’s UNITE Daily News Digest
looks at community employment, Anglo debt, state assets and the
Greatest at 70...
Unions meet minister over community
employment funding
A delegation from the ICTU met with Minister
Joan Burton yesterday as concerns grew over the funding
arrangements for community employment schemes. The Department
took over responsibility for the schemes from Fas at the start of
the year and has promised no scheme will be closed pending a
review.
Irish Times –
Unions and minister meet on community scheme funding
New Campaign kicks off to stop Anglo
debt payment
A new campaigning network of local and global
justice organisations, Debt Justice Action, has
today called on the government to stop paying the debts of the
former Anglo Irish Bank / Irish Nationwide Building Society
(INBS). The campaign group – encompassing a strong and
unique coalition of representatives from the trade union,
community, faith-based, global justice and academic sectors –
argues that the debts of these now state-owned institutions are not
the responsibility of people in Ireland. Their new campaign
– Anglo: Not Our Debt – is calling for the
suspension of Anglo/INBS repayments as a first step towards
renegotiation and writedown of this unjust debt. The bulk of the
re-payments are government issued “promissory notes” – a promise to
pay money in future – to Anglo/INBS which will cost Ireland over
€30 billion during the next 20 years.
The campaigners assure people that the
suspension of Anglo payments would not spread contagion through the
European financial system as most of the Anglo debt is
owed to central banks and Anglo is an isolated problem from the
so-called ‘pillar’ Irish banks [1].
Jimmy Kelly, regional secretary of the UNITE
trade union, said, “This debt can be written off. All that is
needed is the political will to make it happen. That depends on our
government negotiating proactively and responsibly on behalf of its
people.” He continued, “This action would draw a line in
the sand against reckless lending practices, save billions of euro
belonging to people in Ireland, and have no negative repercussions
for ordinary people in Ireland or elsewhere. Our demand is feasible
and winnable”.
Dublin Community worker John Bisset
highlighted the consequences of the proposed cutbacks for already
deprived communities. “That such pain should be inflicted on
those who are already most marginalised, while the gambling debts
of zombie banks are paid off, including the unsecured Anglo bond of
€1.25 billion falling due on 25th January, is unconscionable”
said Mr Bisset [2].
The campaign is calling on the government to
open negotiations with the Irish and European Central Banks, who
bear co-responsibility with the Irish government and the Anglo
bankers for the creation of the unjust Anglo debt. The campaign
proposes that all payments to Anglo creditors should be suspended
pending negotiations until a write down of the debt is
agreed.
Tom McDonnell, economist with independent
think-tank TASC, is providing technical advice to the group. Mr
McDonnell said, “The promissory notes will cost over €20
billion over the next 7 years. Ireland’s debt dynamics are
currently on a knife edge. Halting the promissory note re-payments
would help bring Ireland’s debt burden toward a sustainable
path.”
Nessa Ní Chasaide of global justice
organisation Debt and Development Coalition Ireland (DDCI) said
“the unanimous message of campaigners in Africa, Asia and Latin
America is that ruining whole societies
to repay illegitimate debts is wrong and unworkable – a solution
must be based on cancellation of illegitimate debts that ensure
lenders are held accountable for their mistakes, rather
than sacrificing people’s rights to fear of financial
markets”. She highlighted “Latin American
countries experienced ‘lost decades’ of development due to the
failure of lenders to accept the unsustainable and illegitimate
nature of many debts. But some indebted countries have taken
effective action. Ecuador, after auditing its national debts,
suspended some debt repayments in 2008, showing debt reductions are
possible.”
Ms Ní Chasaide called on the Irish government
to apply principles of fairness and sustainability to cancelling
debts of countries in the Global South today and to support
internationally binding just and responsible lending practices to
prevent similar debt crises emerging anywhere in the world in the
future.
Debt Justice Action is launching
its campaign today (Wed 18th) at 11am at the Central Hotel,
Exchequer St, Dublin and will hold a public meeting at 7pm in the
Teachers Club Parnell Square Dublin on Tuesday 24th January. The
campaign is calling on people around the country to make their
voices heard in support of the campaign.
Notes
[1] The vast majority of Anglo bondholders
have been paid off. There is approximately €5 billion of Anglo
bondholder debt remaining to be paid.
[2] The campaign opposes the payments of the
€1.25 billion on an unsecured Anglo bond on 25th January and the
€3.1 billion IOU (or promissory note) to be paid by the
government on March 31st. The €3.1 billion payment will be due each
year up until 2023 with further IOU payments due beyond this date
also.
The Anglo repayments will have reached €47
billion by 2031, the equivalent of 30% of Ireland’s current GDP.
However, as Ireland will have to borrow more to make the payments,
this could rise to €85 billion when interest charges are added in.
The campaigners highlight that the €3.1 billion payments due to be
made by the state on behalf of Anglo in March 2012 would fund the
cost of running Ireland’s entire primary school system for a year
or could fund the putting in place of a next generation broadband
network for all of Ireland.
A simple ‘questions and answers’ document on
Anglo Debt can be found at http://www.notourdebt.ie/ (website
will be launched on Wed morning)
Euro inflation slower than
expected
Consumer prices across Europe rose by 0.3%
last month, slower than initially expected. Commentators are
pointing towards this as a sign of stabilisation in the debt crisis
but others point out the number of false dawns that have been
proclaimed on scant evidence throughout the last few turbulent
years.
Irish Times –
Euro inflation slower than expected
Tributes paid to editor
Tributes from all sides of Irish society are
being paid to Aengus Fanning, Editor of the Sunday Independent for
28 years, who died yesterday morning. His paper shaped the
opinions of generations of Irish readers and he was central to its
influence on politics and society.
Independent –
Tributes paid to editor Fanning
Ryanair plans to create 1,000 jobs but
none in Ireland
Ryanair has unveiled plans to create 1,000 new
jobs across Europe but none will be in Ireland. The company
blames the €3 travel tax and high charges at airports as the
reasons for concentrating on other locations. The fact that
Irish people are being crushed by austerity might have something to
do with their inability to travel as much as well.
Examiner -
Ryanair to create 1000 jobs in Europe
Fire sale of state assets will not
happen
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan yesterday
scotched rumours that state assets would have to be sold off
cheaply in order to satisfy the Troika. He said there would
be no fire sale of assets like Bord Gais, Coillte or the Dublin
Airport Authority, though the only reason given was that they would
not achive the right price in the market. Still, take every crumb
that comes.
Irish Times -
Imminent sale of assets not on cards
Ali hits 70
The purpose of a trade union is to empower
workers, to fight for what is right and to tackle injustice.
If ever you need a role model for somebody who was able to move
mountains, who fought injustice and inspired millions, then tilt
your hat to Mohammed Ali who turned 70 years old yesterday.
“I have wrestled with an alligator, I done
tussled with a whale. I have handcuffed lightning, thrown
thunder in Jail.”
You Tube – The Greatest (51
seconds from 1974)
...Singing in the rain
And finally... The O2 in Dublin was the fifth
most popular music venue in the world last year. Its ticket
sales of €36 million were more than Madison Square Garden in New
York.
Independent –
Irish music fans lift O2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The UNITE Republic of Ireland daily news
digest wants to hear from you about events, recruitment successes
and news stories in your area.
Contact us through e-mail:
rob.hartnett@unitetheunion.org
All the UNITE news releases are on the website
at www.unitetheunion.org<http://www.unitetheunion.org/ireland
To unsubscribe to this bulletin please reply
to this message with unsubscribe in the subject line
