Pat Lawlor of the We Won’t Pay Campaign stated
“All the parties in the Executive are arguing for a huge cut in Corporation Tax which will amount to hundreds of millions of pounds every year being awarded to big business. At the same time they are planning to introduce an annual average water charge of £400 on householders even though we already pay for water through the rates.
The criticism of the Assembly parties comes after a recent statement by Minister for Finance Sammy Wilson referring to water charges on the BBC that “we have got to make sure when they are introduced, they are introduced on the basis of fairness.”
Mr. Lawlor added “Water charges have nothing to do with investment in the water service. Charges are inextricably linked to the privatisation of the service which will lead to profiteering at the expense of ordinary people.
“The We Won’t Pay Campaign is continuing to campaign against the introduction of water charges in any form and will organise a mass boycott of the charges if introduced.
As seven workers from Honda Swindon were leaving the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) conference on Saturday 11 June, one car worker remarked: "I wish we could have brought a coachload!". This was a typical reaction amongst the 350 workers attending the best conference NSSN has held so far, a regular event that is rapidly becoming a feature in the calendar of the labour movement.
Responding to the news of Bank of Scotland (Ireland)'s decision to close its Halifax outlets with the resulting loss of 750 jobs Socialist Party MEP Joe Higgins commented.