The Irish Congress of Trade Unions calls on all 18 MPs from Northern Ireland,
all MLAs and wider society to speak out against the unnecessary cuts
agenda of the Con-Dem coalition.
Speaking today, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Peter Bunting highlighted the “catastrophic consequences for jobs, both public and private sectors, and the provision of services in Northern Ireland.”
Mr Bunting added that the NI Executive’s own estimates for the scale of the planned cuts are “far beyond anything considered by the Thatcher government and will hit Northern Ireland especially hard.
“Thousands of private sector jobs are reliant upon public procurement and the consumer spending of public sector workers. Cuts in public sector wages or to benefits will threaten the viability of many private sector workers in the retail and service sector.
“The threatened removal of at least £2 Billion from the Executive’s budget would:
· Lose between 25,000 and 40,000 jobs across Northern Ireland, both in the public and private sectors.
· Condemn a lost generation to long-term unemployment and accelerate the ‘brain drain’.
· Devastate the private sector in Northern Ireland through the loss of the purchase of goods and services by the public sector from local private sector businesses.*
· Cut an additional 40% in capital investment between 2010-2014 sounding the death knell for the construction sector and its supply chain, with further job losses.
· Slash welfare benefits for the most marginalised in our society.
· Reduce health, education and other services for all.
“An alternative strategy to the current economic difficulties is essential and the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is presently engaged in consultations across all sectors of our society and economy and NIC-ICTU will be announcing details of it’s alternatives to these unnecessary cuts shortly.”