News
Massive Job Cuts in Education Looming
17/08/2011
NIPSA, the leading Public Service union, met with Education Minister John O'Dowd today, Wednesday 17 August. Whilst the meeting was constructive in respect of some issues, discussions on the budget cuts offered little comfort to members.
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NIPSA, the leading Public Service union, met with Education Minister John O’Dowd today, Wednesday 17 August. Whilst the meeting was constructive in respect of some issues, discussions on the budget cuts offered little comfort to members.
Paddy Mackel, Assistant Secretary said:
“NIPSA made it clear to the Minister that to force through budget cuts of this magnitude would do significant damage to the Education Sector, not just in terms of many hundreds of our members losing their jobs, but also would do untold damage to the provision of education to young people.
The Minister accepted that the ‘situation over the next few years was bleak’ but indicated that he had to deal with the budget he had. NIPSA repeated its warning that cuts cannot be made and people then made redundant without seeing a reaction from workers and the public. Members shouldn’t be forced to pay for a crisis which wasn’t of their making. Our members have had enough. They are becoming increasingly angry at the expectation that they should just take on additional work from colleagues who have been made redundant”.
NIPSA told the Minister that if money wasn’t found to properly resource the Education Service that its members were prepared to fight for it.
Paddy Mackel concluded by saying:
“We left the Minister in no doubt that if the situation didn’t change then NIPSA would ballot its members for Industrial Action in the Autumn. The time has come for workers to make a stand to defend their jobs and an education service which young people deserve”.
ENDS
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