Published August 29, 2012 | 
As Millions of people across Britain watch the 2012 Paralympic games aimed to inspire young disabled people to take up sport, compete at the highest level illustrating disability does not prevent a full and active life. It is disgraceful hypocrisy that ATOS Health Care, the private company who carries out the cruel and dis-credited capability assessment is the main sponsor of the games.
As Tara Flood, who won a Paralympic gold in Barcelona in 1992 before becoming a campaigner and educator said in an interview to the Guardian newspaper “It is a shocking irony that Atos is a main sponsor of London 2012 whilst destroying disabled people’s lives on behalf of the government.”
The SCC states disabled people are forced to suffer the stress of the ‘work capability’ assessment administered by Atos; the sole aim of this cruel process is to push as many people as possible off sickness benefits, as part of the Assembly Executive’s planned £500 million in benefit cuts.
The SCC says
- Fight all benefit cuts.
- Kick Atos out of the Welfare system.
- End the work capability assessment.
- A living wage and benefits with work opportunities for all without compulsion.
JOIN THE PROTEST
ROYSTON HOUSE
34 Upper Queen Street, Belfast
FRIDAY, 31st AUGUST 2012:
12.30 – 1.30 PM
Published August 28, 2012 | OPPOSE THE WELFARE REFORM BILL
The ICTU along with many community groups have organised a protest at Stormont as part of the campaign against the introduction of the Welfare Reform Bill by the Assembly Executive. All anti-cuts activists must mobilise against the devastating cuts in benefits that will occur if this legislation is allowed to be pass by the political parties at Stormont.
JOIN THE PROTEST
STORMONT
10TH SEPTEMBER 2012
@
12:30pm
Published July 19, 2012 | NIPSA Public Sector Union have organised a rally in support of night shift health workers from Branch 732 based at Lakewood Regional Secure Centre, Newtownards Road, Bangor. These workers have been on all out strike since 18th June 2012. They have been forced to take this stand as their employer, the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has attempted to make massive budget cuts by trying to impose draconian new terms and conditions on these workers.
Instead of investing in this essential service by employing the staff needed for the job; the SEHSCT will make these workers work extra shifts over longer periods which will have a devastating impact on the quality of service. The workers rightly opposed this stealth cut in a service that protects vulnerable children; but management refused to enter into real discussions in how these cuts can be prevented leaving these courage workers with no other choice but to commence immediate all out strike action.
Attend the rally!
The SCC is supporting these workers in defence of their jobs and service.
Show your support & attend the rally at:
Lakewood Regional Secure Centre,
Newtownards Road, Bangor.
support these members
24th July 2012 at 1pm
Published May 23, 2012 | Stop the Cuts Campaign
PRESS RELEASE – 24th May 2012
The declaration by the Department of Education that they are cutting places for trainee teachers by 20% is part of the £300 million in Education cuts that is to be imposed by the Assembly Executive by 2015.
These cuts will see new teachers with post-primary Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), who mainly works in Further and Higher Education Colleges cut by a fifth.
Pat Lawlor, from the Stop the Cuts Campaign, stated “this is part of the savage cuts in the education sector by the Assembly Executive that will see at least 1,000 teaching jobs gone in the next academic year; rising to 3,000 by 2015”.
Pat Lawlor added “Education Minister John O’Dowd has said that education cuts were an unsavoury but necessary decision, trying to divert sole blame to Westminster. But these cuts are imposed by the Executive and are fully supported by all the Assembly parties as part of their cuts agenda, which will see mass job losses amongst many experienced and new teachers”.
The SCC states at a time that we see growing social revolt by workers, youth and communities across Europe in opposition to savage austerity measures and cuts to jobs and services. It is clear that ordinary people are no longer willing to pay for the greed of the rich and it is now essential these cuts are opposed completely.
The SCC pledges to give any practical support and assistance to the establishment of any genuine campaign in opposition to this latest attack on workers.
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For comments and further details please contact;
Pat Lawlor, SCC Coordinator: 07810522111
