TOMMY BLACK is a building supervisor at Ashfield Girls High School on the Holywood Rd, where he also represents workers as a NIPSA trade union rep.
TOMMY is vice-chair of NIPSA education branch 516 and is a member of NIPSA’s Public Officers Executive.
TOMMY is also the East Belfast organiser of the anti-water charges We Won’t Pay Campaign. He has spoken at many meetings across East Belfast to organise the campaign and has successfully challenged direct rule Ministers and Stormont politicians to make clear that we already pay for water and we won’t pay twice.
… & public services
- Tommy is the East Belfast organiser of the Stop the Cuts Campaign which organises workers, the unemployed and young people to unite to fight all cuts.
- Tommy has vocally condemned the closure of Sydenham Womens’ Refuge.
- Tommy has opposed cuts in funding to Playzone facilities in East Belfast and has campaigned against the main parties plans to increase charges.
- Tommy has also campaigned against cuts in funding to Strandtown Primary and Victoria Park Primary schools and the closures of Beechfield Primary school and Ballymacarrett, Gilnahirk and Braniel Libraries and helped save other library services under threat.
A Workers’ MLA on a Worker’s wage
Unlike the politicians of the main parties who are out of touch with ordinary people, if elected TOMMY BLACK will only live on the average workers wage and will donate the rest of his MLA salary to assist workers and communities fight the cuts and to build a socialist alternative for working class people.
We won’t pay for the bankers crisis!
Ordinary people are being asked to pay for a crisis we did not cause. The crisis and deficit were caused by bailing out the banks, the greed of financial speculators and the failure of the capitalist system.
Not content with bailing out the banks, the political establishment in Westminster & Stormont want to go further. ALL the Assembly parties are committed to making £4billion cuts which will lead to 40,000 job losses and will deepen the recession. At the same time, the Assembly parties want to cut corporation tax on big business and the banks which will result in an extra £300million cuts to services.
Working people hold no responsibility for the crisis. All cuts to public services, jobs, wages and terms & conditions should be firmly opposed.
How to fight the cuts
Ordinary people have enormous power if properly organised and united. A mass movement spearheaded by the trade unions, mobilising communities and workplaces can defeat the cuts. The cosy relationship between trade union leaders and the Assembly parties has to end – the trade unions should instead put their weight behind the building of a new mass party to represent the common interests of working class people. The only chance of overcoming the economic crisis and mass unemployment is through major investment. That can only happen if the major economic resources are taken into democratic public ownership and control and used in a planned way for people’s needs – not short term profits.
The money is there for jobs & services
- £10 BILLION: Amount ringfenced by Assembly for privatisation contracts
- £7 BILLION: Amount paid in bonuses to bankers this year alone
- £120 BILLION: Amount of tax evaded and avoided by big business EVERY year
- £1,000 BILLION: Bail-out of the banks – Use to create jobs
We beat water charges…
TOMMY BLACK is the East Belfast organiser of the anti-water charges We Won’t Pay Campaign.
Over many years Tommy and the We Won’t Pay Campaign have determinedly organised against the introduction of water charges. Over 120,000 people signed the campaign’s non-payment pledge – sending a message to the Assembly parties that we won’t pay twice for water.
Despite what the politicians may claim, if it was not for the work of the We Won’t Pay Campaign in building support for mass non-payment, water charges would have been introduced by now. The campaign has saved households on average more than £1,300.
The We Won’t Pay Campaign was established by the Socialist Party together with trade union activists to organise mass non-payment of water charges across the North. But water charges are not yet off the agenda.
Main parties support water charges
In a recent interview Sinn Fein’s Paul Butler has claimed Sinn Fein needed to start taking “hard decisions rather than populist decisions” in order to find extra funding and added “really the only place the Stormont executive can go is the area of water charging.” The Alliance Party and the DUP’s Sammy Wilson have also said they want water charges brought in.
Communities united defeated water charges
The budget passed by the Assembly has not scrapped water charges – they have only agreed to defer them. Water charges could be introduced in 2012 so Paddy will continue to build the We Won’t Pay Campaign until water charges are officially scrapped.
The We Won’t Pay Campaign has proved that it is possible to fight and defeat the Stormont parties.
…Now lets beat the cuts!
Jobs, not cuts
- We need more nurses, doctors and teachers – not less
- End public sector recruitment freeze – fill all vacant positions to deliver decent services
- For a 35 hour week with no loss in pay to create 56,000 full time jobs
- For an emergency job creation programme – massive investment in socially useful public works to create jobs and end mass unemployment
Defend our NHS
- For emergency recruitment of doctors, nurses and hospital staff to deal with crisis in health
- For a fully funded public health service – no to hospital charges
- Don’t pay £1 billion ringfenced to private companies involved in health – Kick out the profiteers – No to privatisation
- Nationalise the drugs companies to bring down costs
Education
- Invest in school refurbishment and buildings
- No cuts to teachers and classroom assistants
- Remove private companies profiteering from education via “Public Private Partnership”
- For fully funded, integrated comprehensive education
- No cut to Education Maintenance Allowance
- For free education – scrap tuition fees and introduce a living grant for all
Housing
- Invest in a major public house building programme to end chronic waiting lists and employ construction workers
- Take empty homes owned by property developers into public ownership
- End landlordism – for democratic community control over housing
- Review all mortgages to match repayments with current valuations
A future for Young people
- Mass youth unemployment is leading to a social crisis and increased suicide.
- Launch a major public apprenticeship scheme to provide real training and qualifications for young people
- End harassment of young people on the dole
- End exploitation of young people – Scrap the youth exemptions in the minimum wage – For £8 minimum wage as a step towards £10
No to sectarianism – For workers’ unity
- To beat the cuts and defend jobs, there must be a united working class movement
- Oppose ALL forms of sectarianism, paramilitary activity and repression
- For a new mass party based on the trade union movement to represent working class people
- For a genuine peace process based on uniting ordinary people – For a socialist solution to end sectarian conflict and division
We’re backing Tommy!
“We need working class fighters who will stand up to the cuts of the main parties – that’s why I’m backing Tommy”
Jim Barbour, leader of the Fire Brigades Union in Northern Ireland
“Tommy has refused to go along with the politicians on the Stormont gravy train – Vote Paddy to put workers’ interests first.”
Paul Murphy, Socialist Party MEP
“The fight against cuts must be linked up across Britain & Northern Ireland. On 5 May give your No.1 to Tommy Black”
Cllr Dave Nellist, ex-Labour MP Coventry
“Public sector workers face huge cuts to jobs, terms and conditions. We need genuine representatives to support our struggles. Vote Tommy on 5 May”
Jim Rutherdale, Beersbridge Rd resident & library worker
The blatant way in which young people were singled out as easy targets in the recent budget was a draconian and discriminatory attack by the government.