A new campaign ‘The Poor Can’t Pay’ is being undertaken by a range of charities, trades unions and community organisations. The objective of the campaign is to ensure that the cost of the economic crisis does not fall on the most vulnerable in society
Check it out http://www.thepoorcantpay.ie/
At 10.00am on July 31st management from Thomas Cook arrived at shops in Dublin to enforce closure. Members refused and occupied the shops. The context to this dispute is a company that seeks to consolidate and increase profits through the closure of more than 100 shops, the closures in Dublin fly in the face of these shops making more than £400 million profit during 2008.
The following are video clips were taken during the Thomas Cook Occupations. It shows the ability of workeres and communities to take a stand against the greed to big business
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr3YoddMVak&feature=channel_page
Day 3 of the occupation – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv8RbGdjlPM&NR=1
Day 4- Mass picket outside Thomas Cook this morning to stop any attempt by the courts to evict the workers. Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett, People Before Profit was there throughout to show the support and commitment of People Before Profit to defend workers rights and jobs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svOFM0Q_UVw&NR=1
Gardai Arrests of Thomas Cook Workers
At 5 AM Aug 5th, over 150 Garda took part in an operation to remove Thomas Cook workers who had occupied the building. They sealed off the street, dragged peaceful demonstrators away from the front door, and smashed their way in with a battering ram.
First, around 25 Gardaí marched up to the front door of the building. Over 150 Gardaí followed them on foot and in riot vans. The latter placed metal barriers across the street, from Trinity College to the bottom of Grafton Street and more across the top of the street affectively sealing off the area. It’s estimated 50 to 60 Gardaí manned each line of barriers.
About a dozen protesters huddled together at the front of the building. When the Gardaí arrived they immediately used force to remove the protesters even though all of them repeated the words ‘…this is a peaceful protest…’ Women were dragged along the ground by their feet, and put into arm and wrist locks by Gardaí twice their size. One man was punched as he sat on the ground by the front door.
Once the Gardaí had managed to force the handful of demonstrators back, they immediately produced a battering ram and proceeded to break the door down by breaking the glass and also the doorframe.
Before they arrived there were a number of people inside, sleeping on the floor. It’s believed at least one pregnant lady was inside, and she was taken to the Coombe Hospital as she went into labour early.
Many witnesses who saw the events unfold before their eyes were horrified at the amount of force and manpower that was used to gain entry to the building. The workers inside, and the supporters outside, had said from the start that it was a peaceful demonstration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sW1DGa-WdQ&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsSoNFSJbds&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi_Qo_XxL64&feature=channel_page
In May MTL cut 19 jobs. The company then wrote to the remaining workforce threatening to sack them if they did not accept new wages and conditions.
The 13 workers who have been made compulsorily redundant in May got an average severance payment of €37,000, despite claims from MTL of payments of over €75,000.
MTL is owned by The Mersey Docks & Harbour Co, now Peel Ports Group, and had enough money to recently complete a €25million refit operation in Dublin Port.
The dockers are continuing their pickets despite MTL getting an injunction “to prevent striking dock workers disrupting the smooth operation of the Port of Dublin.”
A number of large protests have taken place in support of the dockers.
For more on this see: http://www.mtldockers.com
The following is a video link to the march on August 24th in support of the MTL dock workers at Dublin Port. Cllr Brid Smith spoke at the march and urged everyone to continue fighting and support the March on September 19th against the proposed NAMA Legislation which is bailing out banks and developers at the expenses on workers in Ireland
People Before Profit continue to support and fight to defend workers rights and jobs both here in Dublin port and throughout the country.
Click on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJzKLp2YlQM
CLick on the link below for more inforamtion about the Protest against NAMA.
We urge you to come out and voice your opposition to NAMA
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Putting PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT
Building the New Left
Wednesday July 1, 7.30pm
Speakers:
People Before Profit Councillors
Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett
Cllr Joan Collins
Cllr Brid Smith
Cllr Gino Kenny
Cllr Hugh Lewis
All welcome
For further information contact: press@peoplebeforeprofit.ie
087 6775468
People Before Profit Alliance Local Elections 2009
Election Rally and Social- Meet the local candidates and PARTY!!!!!
Food, Folk and Workers songs with the usual crew
LIVE BLUES with the BIG EASY
Location: IVEAGH GROUNDS, CRUMLIN ROAD
When: Friday 3rd April at 8.30pm
Admission: €15 Waged €10 Unwaged
The Government’s has announced that the National Carers Strategy will not now be published, despite carers lobbying the government for over 5 years. This strategy is vital for the long term continuation of care in the community.
This is a slap in the face for Ireland’s 161,000 family carers. This shows the government’s complete lack of recognition and value that Government places on family carers and their invaluable work in our society. Government has been more than happy to accept over three million hours of work per week provided by family carers, yet are not even willing to publish a strategy that at the very least recognises and values carers for their contribution to the state.
“We are devastated and appalled that Government have reneged on their promise to develop and publish a National Carers Strategy as committed to under the Social Partnership Agreement – Towards 2016” says Enda Egan, CEO of The Carers Association.
Therefore there will be a protest at the Dail on Thursday April 2nd at 10 am. People Before Profit Alliance will attend to support these carers from various communities.
THANK YOU
Brid would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came and supported the Sale of Work last Saturday. It was a very sucessful day. Lots of people came along throughout the day to show their support for Brid and her election campaign and also managed to pick up a bargain or two!
