A spokesperson for Youth Fight for Jobs Fermanagh said:
“Being unemployed is not a lifestyle choice, young people do not want to spend their lives alternating between unemployment and low-paid jobs. In fact, I think employers in this county are consciously exploiting young people knowing their desperation to get and keep a job.
“At the same time rather than creating employment for young people those in power seek to blame us for the fact that there’s not enough jobs.
“They don’t mind because they have big wages and are drawing huge expenses claims. In the 2007 tax year, Sir Empey drew down almost £67,000 in expenses; that’s more than £1,200 a week on top of equally big wages. All the politicians in Stormont are the same. Young people are tired of them and their excuses.
“He has the nerve to call young people who can’t find work ‘vampires’! If Sir Empey had removed his fangs from the Taxpayer’s money, he would have realised that by now!”
“Youth Fight for Jobs have initiated this picket to expose Sir Empey’s assault on young people and we will be taking forward other actions to highlight the need for job creation to give young people the chance to stay in our county.”
Domhnall Ó Cobhthaigh, coordinator of the Socialist Party in Fermanagh, attended the picket in support.
“I want to commend those young people who organised this protest. It is good to see young people come out in such dreadful weather for a cross-community protest against the right-wing politics of the assembly parties. Young people are more aware of the huge environmental, social and economic costs of the current system and demand something better. I welcome the establishment of Youth Fight for Jobs in Fermanagh and encourage more young people to get involved in their campaigning work.”
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.
Following the rejection of an initial offer for 2009 Northern Ireland civil service pay in April, NIPSA has now received an improved final offer. The union has embarked on a 3-week consultation with their civil service branches with members attending pay meetings and voting whether to accept or reject the offer. The Civil Service Executive Committee which has a Broad Left majority has reluctantly recommended the offer to members. However we do not describe this as a good offer or even a fair one and falls far short of our 2009 claim.
At a time when the government continues to implement savage cuts on working people on the one hand it is still in the process of giving away billions of euro worth of our natural gas to private interests. Two onshore gas fields are next to being a gift. One in Clare and one in the North West. The closing date for the licence applications is 11 June.