Statement from Socialist Party activists in NIPSA This week, the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) is having an online conference, the first general conference of the union in two years. A key issue for discussion is the effect of the pandemic on the working conditions of public sector workers, […]
The Socialist Party welcomes the announcement from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) that all charges related to last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests in Belfast and Derry are to be dropped. The PPS recognised that the events were organised in a responsible manner, aimed at minimising the risk of Covid, and that they related to a matter of “important social concern”. All fines against those who took part in these protests – and a similar protest against gender violence in Belfast, organised by ROSA in the wake of Sarah Everard’s killing – must be immediately rescinded and reimbursed.
In May, Hovis workers in Belfast won an 8% pay increase over two years through a determined, all-out strike that lasted for 11 days. The actions of this workforce are an inspiration to others in the sector and beyond, as employers across the private and public sectors are trying to use the economic crisis sparked by Covid to attack wages, terms and conditions, or as an excuse for miserly pay-offers.
The conviction of former Minneapolis law enforcement officer Derek Chauvin was a direct result of the mass explosion by the working class, youth, and oppressed that captured the imagination of the entire world last year and the potential of another explosion if there was an acquittal verdict. It was also […]
