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BALLYFERMOT will be having their Fight the Household Charge Meeting on Monday 23rd of January @ 8pm in the United Football Club. Blackditch Rd.
INCHICORE will be having their Fight the Household Charge Meeting on Tuesday 24th of January @ 8pm in the Annex at the Oblates in chicore.
DRIMNAGH will be having their Fight the Household Charge Meeting on Friday 27th of January @ 8pm Bosco Youth Club, Davitt Road
CHAPELIZOD will be having their Fight the Household Charge Meeting on Wednesday 1st of February @ 8pm in the Village Inn
Councillor Brid Smith, People Before Profit, has condemned ‘the legalised extortion’ of a €100 standing charge being imposed by Greyhound for waste collection in the Dublin City Council area.
‘The Greyhound company have no right to demand €100 up front from people. They only want this money so that they can build up their financial reserves at our expense.
‘The manner in which DublinCity Council have withdrawn from waste collection represents a huge historical set back.
‘Waste collection has been seen as a public service since the Victorian era – -it should not be regarded as an opportunity to make profit.
There are three aspects of this arrangement which are deeply disturbing:
Information on the exact financial arrangement between Dublin City Council and Greyhound are being withheld from elected representatives. Under the guise of ‘commercial sensitivity’ an insidious form of censorship has been imposed. But the people ofDublinhave every right to scrutinise arrangements made with private companies. What right do unelected city managers have to do deals without public transparency’.
Dublin City Council has given Greyhound the right to pursue people who owe the council money for waste charges. No information has been provided on how much money will go back to the council or what cut Greyhound will get. Instead a private company has been given the right to harass people who are already stressed out by huge bills.
The workers of Dublin City Council – who have given loyal service over the years have been treated in a disgraceful manner. They have been given no guarantees about their earnings – but have been told to turn up each morning like ‘spailpin fanaigh’ to wait outside the city council for work. This is no way to treat workers in the 21st century.
I call on people to protest against this attack on public services and to take the example of the global Occupy movement and resist.
People Before Profit Councillor Brid Smith is calling on the Minister of Education to guarantee the full reversal of cuts to DEIS Schools outline in this years Budget.
Minister Quinn last week order a review on the impact of cuts to DEIS schools after reports from his own inspectorate and from the Education Research Centre detailed the real positive impact DEIS is having on the attainment levels of pupils in these schools.
The cuts – which involve changes to the pupil-teacher ratio, the withdrawal of extra resources such as Support Teachers and changes to the way in which Learning Support and Language Support services are allocated – could result in all DEIS schools losing at least 1 – 2 frontline teachers, with some losing up to 8 teachers over the next three years.
Minister Quinn must now, having admitted his terrible mistake, ensure there is a full and immediate reversal of all DEIS cuts. However, Minister Quinn has said that if he is to reverse anything he will have to make cuts elsewhere in education. This is not good enough and there are alternatives to cutting vital budgets in areas such as Education. A small increase in tax on the wealth in this country would cover the needs of the Education sector.
Councillor Brid Smith said “Parents, teachers and children have to keep up their campaign and keep the pressure on Minister Quinn and this FG/ Labour government because this backtracking in recent weeks regarding the cuts to disability and cuts on Education has shown people power can force the government’s hand. There should be no question of any other cuts in Education. We have to insist that this government puts our children and our future first and not the dictats of the Troika. Therefore I would urge all parents, teachers and pupils to join this protest and show your support”.
