Northern Ireland says NO to Austerity

#M13 Over 50,000 public service workers, including UNISON members, across Northern Ireland took 24 hour all out strike action against austerity cuts yesterday. Education, health, transport and council services were brought to a halt in response to the cross-party Stormont House agreement which will cut 20,000 public sector jobs over the next 4 years. A well supported march and lunchtime rally was held in Belfast and 10 other towns.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-31858483

NHS residential care under threat in Northern Ireland

Public opposition in Northern Ireland to plans to privatise NHS residential homes has led to a temporary reprieve, with the Health Minister Edwin Poots MLA delaying the Government’s 'transforming your care' proposals which would have closed 18 NHS care homes:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/northern-irelands-care-homes-fight-goes-on-29246739.html

Irish unions going cold on Europe

In this month's Union Post ICTU general secretary David Begg warns of a “growing disaffection” with the European project within the trade union movement. Speaking to a gathering of EU officials and diplomats in Dublin last month, he said: “It is imperative that confidence in Social Europe be rebuilt. Expecting workers and social welfare recipients to carry the burden of maro-economic adjustment is unfair and unreasonable."

Troika should be in sackcloth & ashes for their sins

ICTU general secretary David Begg has accused the Troika’s “neoliberal zealots” of causing untold misery to the Irish people by wrecking Ireland's economy. The Troika of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank are wedded to a strict neoliberal approach to dealing with the deficit, he tells this issue of Union Post. The magazine also covers the 20 October rally, a UNISON survey showing nurses are under huge workload pressures and Dave Prentis's demolition of regional pay. http://www.ictu.ie/publications/fulllist/union-post-october-2012/

Patricia nobbles minister on welfare cuts

The latest issue of Union Post carries a pic of UNISON Northern Ireland regional secretary Patricia McKeown button-holing Stormont health minister Edwin Poots as he rushed back to work during the unions' June 25 protest against welfare cuts. See the story and more ICTU news at http://www.ictu.ie/publications/fulllist/union-post-august-2012/

Anne Donnelly - Union Woman

The Derry Journal has published an excellent profile of long serving UNISON Joint Regional Convenor in Northern Ireland Anne Donnelly - a union and political activist steeped in decades of industrial and political struggle: http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/women-in-politics-anne-donnelly-always-there-to-help-1-3618661

UNISON's Iron Lady

The Belfast Telegraph published a profile of Patricia McKeown, UNISON Regional Secretary, following yesterday's successful 24 hour strike against the cuts. It claims she has a 'tenacity which has led some critics to characterise her as prone to being “hot-headed” - for her part Patricia says UNISON is “a trade union which is a real agent of social change, both at home and on [an] international basis.” http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/patricia-mckeown-tenacious-union-boss-who-called-the-action-16059765.html

Dissent & Devolution

Interesting reflections on yesterday’s UNISON strike in Northern Ireland by Lorcan Mullen on the Slugger O’Toole blog. Large scale strikes against cuts in devolved administrations are relatively unchartered waters and very complex given the cause and effect of austerity measures. There is political divergence between the hard line cost cutting UK Government and the administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales which since devolution have been generally pro-public services and less hostile to workforce interests but nonetheless operate within Westminster imposed financial straitjackets:
http://sluggerotoole.com/2011/10/06/dissent-and-devolution-notes-on-the-unison-strike/

UNISON members strike against cuts in Northern Ireland today

In the largest industrial action to hit Northern Ireland for 30 years, a 24 hour strike against cuts is being staged by 26,000 UNISON members working in education, health and social care. Patricia McKeown, regional secretary, said: "recent reports indicated that we don't have a health service which is meeting its targets in critical areas such as accident and emergency. The workers are facing some of the worst cuts in their history. They have not been well treated or well served by the government and that is contemptible”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15172997

UNISON ballots Northern Ireland membership for strike action against cuts

Co-ordinated joint union action across the public sector in Northern Ireland moves closer this week as both UNISON and NIPSA begin ballots for industrial action against cuts and redundancies: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14550906  

Public sector unions unite in Northern Ireland

Yesterday, public sector trade unions representing thousands of public service workers across Northern Ireland issued a joint statement of cooperation in opposition to a reduction in public services, job cuts, pay freezes, attacks on welfare benefits and pensions: http://www.unison.org.uk/northernireland/pages_view.asp?did=13054