Pat Lawlor said:
“Today, we delivered over 850 signatures supporting our demands to Mr. McKee. We collected that number in a matter of hours of campaigning work. That demonstrates the level of anger there is in the community against the current round of health cuts, and the threat of another £113 million being taken from the health budget this year.”
“Mr. McKee tried to wash his hands of responsibility for the cuts, saying that the budget is determined by the Assembly Executive. Of course, he is correct in this. But he and the Executive Board have rubber-stamped and managed the cuts on behalf of the Stormont government. If he is really opposed to health cuts, Mr. McKee should resign from his position and help to build a real fight-back. Of course, then he would lose his basic salary of over £125,000, not to mention his huge pension.”
“Councillor Tom Hartley, who is supposed to represent the interests of the public, was present at the meeting today but did not come out to greet us. He has still failed to respond to our demand that he justify these cuts to those who elected him.”
The draft ‘Public Assemblies’ Bill under discussion by the Assembly Executive has been branded a ‘disgrace’ by local anti-racist campaigner and South Belfast Socialist Party spokesperson Paddy Meehan.
At the Communications Workers Union (CWU) conference at the end of May the scale of the attacks on postal and telecoms workers was put alongside the wider government attacks. Delegates called unanimously for a 24-hour general strike and on the CWU to participate in local anti-cuts bodies.
Fight the minister’s attacks on young people