Today is International Labour Day and the President of the Party of European Socialists, Paul Nyrup Rasmussen, wants your support! Please see the communication below:

 

1st May 2009

Dear friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to send my warmest greetings to all European trade unionists on this International Workers’ Day. For me, the 1st of May has always meant a celebration of all that is best about the workers’ movement: solidarity, equality and cooperation. I remember very well May Days as a teenager in my home town, Esbjerg, in the 1950s, an age of strong trade unions, when the Danish welfare state was emerging. But that’s also when I learnt about the harsh realities of unemployment and the impact it can have on ordinary families like my own when I was growing up.

This year, International Workers’ Day comes at the start of the European elections campaign, and in the worst recession since the 1930s. Economic forecasts are being downgraded from week to week: we risk seeing 27 million unemployed by early 2010 if nothing more is done to stop the downward spiral.

Last Friday I was in Toulouse, where I met with workers from Airbus and Molex, who are currently threatened by job losses and wage cuts, with all the misery and uncertainty which that implies. Across Europe, millions of workers find themselves in this situation, workers who are in no way responsible for this crisis but are the ones paying the price. The conservatives – like Chancellor Merkel, President Sarkozy or Prime Minister Juncker - say that they have done enough. But I say that there are 27 million reasons to do more. We need a strong, new European economic recovery plan to safeguard employment and prevent mass unemployment hitting working families across Europe.

For the past five years the right has had a majority in Europe – in all EU institutions and most member states. It has presided over a period of repeated and serious attacks on workers’ rights and public services. The Barroso Commission has failed to stop freedom of movement of workers from being exploited to undermine social standards. The European Court of Justice has passed a series of questionable judgements (Laval, Viking, Rüffert, Luxemburg) on the Posting of Workers Directive, calling into question the principles of equal pay and collective bargaining and the right to strike action. In the Laval case, a Latvian company building a school in Sweden refused to respect local rules on pay and conditions and in doing so was supported by the Court due to ambiguities in the directive.

The Party of European Socialists firmly believes that this ‘race to the bottom’ in social standards is unacceptable. Yet the Commission has repeatedly refused to close the loopholes.

We will also strive to create a new respect for decent work and workplaces. For far too long, financial market actors such as private equity funds have treated our workplaces like a bundle for assets you can buy and sell at will, with no thought for the impact on workers. They load healthy companies with debt for short-term profit, leading to job losses, worse working conditions and weakened pensions for employees.

Regulation in this area is, clearly, woefully inadequate. My report on private equity was passed by the Parliament in September, yet the European Commission has ignored our demands. This week they finally published their draft proposal for regulation of private equity, which is so full of loopholes and gaps it is totally ineffective.

This is the problem we face on Workers Day, and on every working day, with a conservative-dominated European Union.

My party, the Party of European Socialists, has a clear and concrete plan for change. We have presented seven political demands to fight the crisis, which we want implemented within the first 100 days after the European elections:

1. A new, strong recovery plan for Europe
2. A European Employment Pact
3. A new Women’s rights Charter
4. A Social Progress Pact
5. Effective regulation and supervision of the financial markets
6. New mutual solidarity across EU Member States
7. A European roadmap for a global new deal

Our manifesto for the election outlines 71 specific proposals for taking Europe in a new direction over the next five years. As I said at a discussion organised by the European Trade Union Confederation on Tuesday, it is a manifesto that very much coincides with the ETUC manifesto demands, with real commitments to fighting the recession with a stronger European recovery plan, a review the Posting of Workers Directive, a European framework for cross-border collective bargaining and collective agreements, strengthened workers’ rights to information and consultation, a European pact on wages, a European framework for public services and regulation to cover all financial players. Trade unions should have a real say in decision-making in future.

So I urge you all to get the vote out on 4th – 7th June. This election finds Europe at a crossroads, faced with two very different political visions. I look forward to working together in close cooperation to make sure that working people across the EU get the new direction for Europe that they deserve.

Kind regards,

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen

President
Party of European Socialists

SDLP Youth Representative Barry Magee has criticised those people responsible for rioting in the Holylands, Belfast during St Patrick’s Day.

I am disgusted and deeply disappointed by the actions of some people in the Holylands area. Disgusted yes, but not shocked.

This is a long term problem in this area and as an ex-resident myself I know only too well the levels of anti-social behaviour that have blighted the area in recent years.

The behaviour of some people is simply intolerable and is placing serious pressures on the quality of life of all residents.

The problem is primarily the anti-social behaviour of students who live there but it must be acknowledged that other people are responsible too for trouble in the area.

Some students think that because they are in the vast majority in the area that they can simply claim ownership over it and treat like their own personal play ground.

The majority of student residents are fine but there is a considerable hardcore of people who when intoxicated just wreck everything in sight, including cars, phone boxes and industrial bins.

As a result all students are being labeled as anti-social. This is worrying because there are a lot of students out there that abhor this type of behavior and totally reject it. Unfortunately there seem to be a small few that embrace it.

This is certainly not an isolated incident and trouble in the Holylands has been steadily building up over the years until it came to a head this week. The problem is one of culture, and drink culture particularly, and also local planning policy.

There is a serious absence of a coordinated and focused approach to land use in the area. Over recent years a few landlords have bought up nearly all the houses in the area and converted them into HMOs. This has created a dangerously high population density in the area with thousands of students crammed into an area of approx 2km squared.

This has contributed to turning the area into a student ghetto where some young people think that the normal rules of society do not apply and that anything goes.

It is not the fault of landlords but a lack of regulation and a coherent local land use/development strategy. The authorities need to adopt a much stricter and long term approach towards land use policy in the area in the future.

But, ultimately it is about people’s behavior and the people who live there need to take responsibility for their actions and behave themselves.

This issue is a magnification of the wider problem of binge drinking in society and it is imperative that people are educated about sensible drinking habits from a young age.

It is time that the police, universities, city council, government departments worked concertedly along with local residents to resolve the issue.

SDLP youth representative Councillor Matthew McDermott has condemned the killing of a police officer in Craigavon tonight (Monday 9^th March), following the murder of two soldiers in Antrim on Saturday 7^th March.

Commenting on the murder Cllr McDermott said, ‘My thoughts are with the officers family and this murder must be condemned outright. Early reports would suggest that dissident republicans also carried out this murder.

‘These people have nothing to offer the people of Ireland, they want to destabilise the process and spark an over reaction from the security forces to justify their actions, in their minds and this should not happen.

‘ I have a clear message for the dissidents, and I think I speak for the majority of young people who grew up at the end of the troubles and are untainted by the murder and destruction of the past when I say,

‘My generation has no intention to go back to the past, we have every intention to go forward, much more forward than ever before in our history and continue undeterred the process of truly uniting our people. We are ‘ceasefire babies’, less tainted by the violence and divisions of the past and we know peace to be normal.

Concluding and commenting on the three murders Cllr McDermott said, ‘what these murderers carried out is to us abnormal, sickening and deplorable and they will not prevent my generation from sowing the seeds of the unity of our people and peace for our people. The next generation deserves nothing less and we will not let so called ‘Irish republicans’ stop that progress.

‘Any one with any information, however small must bring this forward so these people are brought to justice.’

END

Last night on Hearts and Minds, the DUP reveal that they don’t like it when the SDLP are stronger.

Ian Paisley Jnr. said: “Whilst I’m not saying I’d prefer to see Sinn Féin in government because they’re a soft touch, I do believe if the SDLP had more people here we wouldn’t be able to get away with some things… We might be held more to account.”

SDLP Youth representative and Lecale Branch Secretary Barry Magee attended a recent protest in Belfast against the continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The protest on Saturday 10th January was attended by over 2,000 people who gathered outside Belfast City Hall to condemn the recent Israeli military incursions and to express support for the plight of the Palestinian people.

This was a highly successful protest organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and attended by people from all sorts of different political, religious and cultural backgrounds. These people descended on Belfast city centre to voice their unified opposition to the current situation in Gaza and express support for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

SDLP Youth wishes to express solidarity with the people in Gaza as it is clear that the situation there is deteriorating and the people of Gaza are facing a humanitarian crisis.

SDLP Youth believe that the Israeli response to the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants is completely disproportionate. The actions of Israel are a form of state terrorism.

SDLP Youth repeats our call for an immediate cessation of violence, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a peaceful resolution.

Whilst the protest was successful I was extremely disappointed to see people burning Israeli flags. This only serves to distract attention from the plight of the Palestinian people.

Flag burning is fundamentally racist. There are many decent people living in Israel who want a peaceful resolution. It is not the country of Israel that the people in Belfast were protesting against- it was the actions of government of Israel.

I welcome the fact that the SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Mark Durkan MLA has written to the Foreign Secretary David Milliband and the Israeli ambassadors in London and Dublin to register our concern at the deteriorating situation in Gaza.  Mr Durkan has also joined more than 100 MPs and Lords signing a statement that demands an end to the slaughter in Gaza.

Through our experiences here in Northern Ireland we all know that violence is not the answer. Violence begets violence and the only people who suffer are ordinary families. A peaceful solution must be sought and a ceasefire needs to be restored.

The SDLP’s youngest Councillor Matthew McDermott has today withdrawn from an Ogra Shinn Fein event to be held at the weekend in Newcastle, Co. Down.

Cllr McDermott was due to take part in a panel discussion on Saturday 10th January but has stated that he will not be involved in an event that’s main aim is not dialogue and discussion but rather to indoctrinate young people.

As part of the weekend, Ogra Shinn Fein will visit the Narrow Water site, a site of mass murder during the troubles.

Commenting Cllr McDermott Said, “While I always welcome the opportunity to debate anti social behaviour on a panel, this weekend is not the time or the place to do it – a weekend which will include the glorification of mass murder.

“It is preposterous for OSF to claim that the IRA fought a justifiable war. The people of Ireland year after year democratically rejected the IRA. IRA terrorism divided not united the people of Ireland and IRA violence killed over half of all those dead over the years of violence by the state and terror groups.

“To now grotesquely promote that terror by a visit to a site of mass murder is equivalent to the British Army Cadets visiting the site of the Massacre at Ballymurphy in 1971 – it’s deplorable.

“It is evident that this organisation has no interest in looking forward and working for a shared future. They’re only interest is in indoctrination and propaganda.”

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Related blog piece: http://noglossjustmatt.com/2009/01/fallacy-and-revisionism/

Congratulations to Cllr Colin McGrath who has been chosen as Councillor of the Week on Slugger O’Toole.

Colin has been doing a fantastic job for Down District, working tirelessly for constituents, and producing weekly video diaries keeping us informed of his work as Chairman of the Council. He can also be found on Councillor.info where he answers questions like ‘How Much Does A Councillor Get Paid Then?‘.

Speaking on World Day Against Child Labour, the SDLP have called on the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Irish and British Governments to step up efforts to eradicate child labour, in the shadow of the fact that some 200 million children have to go to work instead of school.

“Seven years ago, leaders from around the world made a promise that every child of primary school age would be enrolled in formal education by the year 2015. Half way to that date and sadly the number of children working full time has barely decreased at all” said Gavin Boyd, SDLP Youth Campaigns Officer.

“According to the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour, one in every six children across the world is a child labourer. Not only does child labour ruin childhoods, it locks the world’s poorest people into a cycle of poverty that education could break.

“We’re urging the young people of Northern Ireland to think about the products they’re buying, to ask questions of retailers and manufacturers, and avoid products made by child or bonded labour” Gavin added.

SDLP Youth Vice Chair Peter Armstrong has welcomed news that local tea producer Punjana has launched a Fair Trade tea product. Punjana is the first tea company in Ireland to launch a fair-trade brand.

Peter said: “It is excellent news to see a Belfast company entering the fair-trade market. Part of the profits generated helps to sustain communities in the developing world and allows the developing world to manage their own sustainable growth.
“Punjana source high quality tea from Kenya and the Hassan province in India, where fair-trade projects are making real differences to peoples lives.
“SDLP Youth are encouraging people to buy fair-trade products, to support the Fairtrade At Work campaign, and the SDLP have been campaigning for more towns and villages here in Ireland to achieve Fairtrade status.”

Punjana Fairtrade Tea is available in Sainsburys, Iceland and many other local stores.

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Notes to Editor:
www.fairtrade.org.uk
www.fairtradeatwork.org.uk

SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown has expressed concern at the findings of a new report which show that house prices in Northern Ireland are continuing to spiral.

Mr McKeown said: “It is extremely worrying that there seems to be no sign of the price growth in the housing market slowing. House prices are now higher here than in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, even though wages in the north of Ireland are a lot lower than in Britain.

“Prices have gone up 46% in the past year and up 11% during the first quarter of 2007.

“There isn’t a chance in hell of a first-time buyer being able to get onto the property ladder now without putting themselves in massive and dangerous debt. The only young people able to buy houses now are those from wealthy backgrounds. The vast majority of hard-working young people find themselves unable to pay the exorbitant prices now being asked for property.

“The effect of these massive house prices is that most young people now find themselves effectively blacklisted from being able to buy themselves a home.”

Mr McKeown added: “Not only are young people forced into rented accommodation, which perpetuates the ability of property magnates to milk the system for massive profits, but the inability to buy their own homes is going to force a lot of people to move away from the north of Ireland to areas where the cost of living is lower.

“This will present massive problems for the economy here as skilled and educated people will leave in their droves if they find that it isn’t worth their while living here.”

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Source of figures- University of Ulster Quarterly House Price Index