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Rights in Recession

Pamela Dooley Vice Chairperson ICTU NI Committee and UNISON. Rights in Recession. Context. Equality and Rights under greatest threat at time of recession Commitments in Good Friday Agreement largely ignored by politicians

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Rights in Recession

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  1. Pamela Dooley Vice Chairperson ICTU NI Committee and UNISON Rights in Recession

  2. Context • Equality and Rights under greatest threat at time of recession • Commitments in Good Friday Agreement largely ignored by politicians • Draft budget constitutes a real threat to the socio economic rights of the people

  3. UK Government Cuts - NI • UK Emergency Budget June 2010 £8bn impact in tax rises and welfare cuts • Further UK cuts to Welfare benefits: £8bn becomes £16bn • UK Cuts to NI Block Grant: • £4bn • Impact - 75% women

  4. Who is under threat? • Women • Children • Everyone living in poverty • The low paid • Pensioners • Working class people in general

  5. The Right to Work

  6. The Right to Health and Social Care

  7. What we can expect • Restricted access to community care • Closures of beds • Hospital beds will get blocked • Waiting lists will extend, both for hospital and community services • Reduction in grants to the voluntary sector • No new patients on high cost drugs • Jobs will be lost – c.4,000 • A moratorium in employment • Cash control on necessary agency and locum spend leading to unplanned closure • New buildings currently in construction left unopened • Co payments and Greater contributions from service users.

  8. The Right to Education • Over 4 years £300m funding gap • Capital 30% shortfall ISSUES NOT ADDRESSED • Attainment Outcomes • Existing Inequalities • Real need

  9. Education: What we can expect DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION • Promise of some growth in Free Meals, Early Years BUT • School meals budget cut by 6% • School Budget Cut (2014-2015 - 15%) • LMS issue • Home to School Transport cut • Capacity Building (4.8m) cut • Job loss

  10. Education: What we can expect DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE ARTS AND LEISURE • Library Closures (x10) • 15-20% reduction opening hours (redundancies) • Recruitment freeze • Book Stock (0.29!)

  11. Education: What we can expect Department of Employment • Student loans • Education Maintenance Allowance Universities and Colleges • Major cuts in services and job

  12. Right to Housing • ‘Flat Cash’ • Little or no growth in public housing • Waiting list increase • Regeneration initiatives under threat

  13. Right to Social Security • Obscene cuts to the welfare benefits system • Introduction of charging for services • Universal Benefit a threat to individual rights

  14. Right to an Adequate Standard of Living • Pay Freezes • Pay Cuts • Attacks on agreed conditions • ‘Sweating’ the workforce • Attacking the benefits system

  15. On the Offensive • UK and NI governments side-stepping legal obligations on equality and human rights • Legal challenges in UK winning at operational level if not at Government level • Trades unions taking industrial action • Unions and communities mobilising, marching , lobbying and taking direct action • A sustained programme of strategic action on all front can bring about change

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