NIPSA Trade Union Vows to Resist New Public Spending Cutbacks
NIPSA Trade Union Vows to Resist New Public Spending Cutbacks
12/01/2010
NIPSA vows to resist the cutbacks announced by Sammy Wilson, Minister for Finance.
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Brian Campfield NIPSA General Secretary (Designate) stated ……
“The Finance Minister’s attempt to attribute the £367m shortfall in public funds mainly to the non introduction of water charges conceals the fact that the Executive has wasted almost two years during which it could have devised a system for incorporating the costs of water into the regional rates payments. Unfortunately the Executive took no action to progress an alternative to water charges which would have been fair and acceptable to the people of Northern Ireland.
Despite the Minister’s claim these are not cutbacks there is no doubt that many important services will be detrimentally affected by this decision. Instead of cutting important public services the Northern Ireland Executive should be examining methods of raising the necessary finance to maintain services and the opportunity still exists by lifting the freeze on the regional rate as well as the unacceptable cap on the maximum amount on which rates can be raised. The cap on rates creates a situation whereby those in our society, who are rich, especially in assets, are making proportionately less of a contribution to public finances than those who are less well off.
This is a situation which must be addressed and NIPSA is calling on all political parties to urgently declare their opposition to these cutbacks and to work for the introduction of as fairer rates system which does not penalise the less well off in our society who rely more on public services.”
NIPSA has pledged to resist the further public service cutbacks that will come in the aftermath of the Finance Ministers announcement whenever individual Ministers begin to implement cuts to secure their allocated savings.
NIPSA is calling for united opposition to these cutbacks from the trade union movement and from all those in the community who rely on public services and who are in favour of a fairer Northern Ireland.
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