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Protest Against the G8 Sat 15 June Belfast, Mon 17th June Enniskillen

Filed under: Anti-war, Enough! Campaign, EU-IMF Deal, Events, PBP-ULA
6:53 pm

g8 posterThe G8 are the leaders of the eight richest countries on earth – the USA, Germany, Britain, France, Japan, Canada, Italy, and Russia. This year the G8 summit will take place near Enniskillen on 16 and 17 June. They will gather to co-ordinate policies for defending privilege and inequality. The G8 and its associates represent the pillar organisations of corporate globalisation.

It will be a focus for protestors to gather and voice demands for global justice. So far, the ICTU is planning a march in Belfast on Saturday 15 June. A counter summit is being organised by G8 Alternatives on Sunday 16 June in Belfast. And a major protest is scheduled for Enniskillen on Monday 17 June.

There will also be public meetings around the country to help mobilise for the G8 protests. If you want to get involved contact 085 858 5292.

Download timetable for G-8 Counter Summit here

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Images from National Walk in the Woods 9th June

Filed under: Current Campaigns, Enough! Campaign, EU-IMF Deal, PBP-ULA
6:41 pm

Walks took place in over 20 locations on June 9th to Save Our Forests. Pictures include images from Dublin, Clare, Wicklow, Cavan, Galway, Louth walks and more.

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Richard Boyd Barrett TD challenges Taoiseach on his defence of G8 Agenda

Filed under: Current Campaigns, Dail Speeches, Enough! Campaign, EU-IMF Deal, PBP-ULA
6:13 pm
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Over twenty “walks in the woods” nationwide this weekend against harvesting rights sale plan and to celebrate public forest ownership

Filed under: Current Campaigns, EU-IMF Deal, Events, PBP-ULA
7:01 pm

An official announcement is needed not media whispers to calm public concern

saveforests_june9The Natural Resources Protection Alliance and the Woodland League today announced that more than twenty “Walks in the Woods” would take place across the country this weekend, Sunday June 9th, in a national day of action opposing the proposed sale of the harvesting rights to Ireland’s public forests and celebrating public forest ownership rights.

Walks will take place in Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Galway, Donegal, Cavan, Galway, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Clare, Wexford, Wicklow, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Wexford (see below full list of locations and contact details).

The call for a national day of action on June 9th in local woods was made at the hugely successful “Walk in the Woods” in Avondale Co. Wicklow in April attended by over 4000 people – also organised by the Natural Resources Protection Alliance and the Woodland League.

The organisers of this weekend’s events say that while the Avondale protest and wider public outrage has clearly shaken the government, the Minister’s responsible, Brendan Howlin and Simon Coveney, had still failed to make any official announcement that the government was now abandoning its previous commitment under the EU-IMF troika programme to sell-off Coillte’s harvesting rights.

The organisers noted that the new junior Minister for Agriculture, Tom Hayes, when asked directly yesterday on RTE about whether the sale plan would go-ahead, gave an entirely non-committal answer – stating only the final decision would be “in the best interests of the country.”

The organisers said their campaign would continue until they forced the government to make a definitive announcement that the privatisation plan was being shelved and called on the public to join the national day of action this Sunday.

Richard Boyd Barrett TD for People Before Profit and one of the organisers of the Natural Resources Protection Alliance said: “It is absolutely essential that we continue to mobilise to demand that our national forests, and the harvesting rights to those forests, remain one hundred per cent in public ownership.”

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Government ramming through ‘Financial Emergency Measures in the BANKERS Interest Bill 2013′

Filed under: Current Campaigns, Dail Speeches, Finance, PBP-ULA
7:12 pm
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Trampling of democracy as People Before Profit amendments to Financial Emergency Measures bill ruled out of order and guillotine imposed

Filed under: Dail Speeches, Finance
12:53 pm

rbb x caseIn a statement at Leinster House this morning, Richard Boyd Barrett TD strongly criticised the government for the trampling of democracy as twenty four of his amendments to the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013 were ruled out of order.

The government also imposed a guillotine on this bill which does not allow for adequate debate and consultation and is further evidence the government wants to ram this bill through before workers vote on Croke Park 2.5.

The amendments submitted by Deputy Boyd Barrett, following consultation with rank and file trade unionists, would have seen the protection of workers earning less than 100,000, the protection of pensioners earning less than 50,000 and the shifting of the burden of cuts to those earning more than 100,000.

Deputy Boyd Barrett also submitted an amendment proposing the deletion of the section that would give the Minister draconian new powers to change the pay and conditions of public sector workers at a mere stroke of his pen.

The Minister in question is Brendan Howlin and it is extraordinary that a Labour Party member would propose and push through legislation giving himself the power to trample on the democracy of the trade union movement and the hard won rights of workers.

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Government choose to attack public service workers rather than tackle wealthy corporations

Filed under: Current Campaigns, Dail Speeches, Enough! Campaign, EU-IMF Deal, Finance, PBP-ULA
11:24 pm
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Termination for Medical Reasons Group to brief TDs in the Dail today

Filed under: Current Campaigns, PBP-ULA
3:32 pm

tfmrA group representing TFMR briefed TDs today on their concerns on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

During the recent Oireachtas hearings on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, a number of groups who have concerns and amendments did not have the opportunity to participate.

The groups include, National Women’s Council of Ireland, Action on X, Abortion Rights Campaign, ICTU Women’s Committee, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Irish Family Planning Association, Irish Feminist Network, Cork Women’s Right to Choose Group and Galway Pro Choice Group.

TFMR (Terminations for Medical Reasons) is one of the groups and it represents couples and families who have undertaken terminations due to the tragic presence of fatal foetal abnormalities in much wanted pregnancies. These terminations had to take place abroad because of the current legal situation surrounding terminations in Ireland but such situations are not provided for in the Bill being proposed, something TMFR feel is a missed opportunity.

Richard Boyd Barrett TD, who was hosting the briefing said, “The Oireachtas hearings were an important opportunity for all interest groups to have their say and influence the provisions of the bill. It is unfortunate that groups such as TMFR were not invited to participate and today’s briefing will give them a chance to brief TDs and Senators on the issues around which they are campaigning”.

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Company fly in workers from Spain as Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment strike enters its third day

Filed under: Current Campaigns, Dun Laoghaire, PBP-ULA
12:20 pm
Cllr Hugh Lewis, People Before Profit visits picket yesterday

Cllr Hugh Lewis, People Before Profit visits picket yesterday

In a statement today, the strikers at Shanganagh Waste Water Treatment Plant, announced that 2 workers have passed their picket line to carry out work at the plant.

The workers who passed the picket line this morning are believed to have been flown in from Spain by the Spanish section of the Management.

The workers have also raised serious health and safety concerns that, as the laboratory workers are not passing the picket line, the water quality may not be being tested at the site for three days now.

People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett, will be visiting the workers at the site at 12.30 today to show his support for the workers.

SDD Shanganagh Water Treatment runs the Waste Water Treatment Centre in Shanganagh under a standard Public Private Partnership contract with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. SDD are responsible for all operations on site. The new plant was opened by Phil Hogan TD last January.

SDD is a partnership between SISK and a Spanish company called Drago Drace. It is believed that the workers who passed the picket line this morning are employees of Drago Drace in Spain.

The dispute at the plant is over pay and shift premium payments. Earlier this month the SIPTU workers had threatened strike action because management were refusing to recognise the union. The strike was called off when they agreed to start discussions. It was subsequently agreed to send the issues of dispute to the LRC but management did not proceed with this. Strike action started on Tues morning at 6.30am.

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Richard Boyd Barrett challenges ‘Clearing House Group’ over role in shaping corporate tax policy

Filed under: Current Campaigns, Dail Speeches, Enough! Campaign, EU-IMF Deal, Finance, PBP-ULA
6:05 pm
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