(en) Britain, Solfed Belfast, The Leveller #14 Page 3 - ATOS Lose Contract Government Still In Power + NIC-ICTU Demanding The Impossible

ATOS Lose Contract Government Still In Power ----[Picture] UNITE Community members picket 
of Atos offices in Belfast 17th February, days before the loss of it?s contract was 
announced. ---------- As the company hated for implementing the governments attacks on the 
most vulnerable in our society is quitting its contract the attacks are set to continue. 
---- Atos administered a programme that found people with terminal cancer or severe 
multiple sclerosis fit for work! 1,300 people have died after being declared fit for work. 
---- While the withdrawal from implementing these assessments for the DWP is evidence of 
the results of successful campaigning it is only the start. Welfare reform and attacks on 
claimants is ongoing and must continue to be opposed until we force the government to 
scrap them.

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NIC-ICTU Demanding The Impossible

On Friday 31st January NIC-ICTU held a
rally to demand that the politicians sort
things out.
Exasperated by on-going sectarianism
hundreds turned out for what, unfortunately,
was another bang-your-head-against-a-
brick-wall rally. NIC-ICTU?s Rally for Peace,
Progress & Equality (can?t argue with the
name) took place at Belfast City Hall.
During the usual format of half hour
lunchtime listening to speeches then back to
work the rally was addressed by Claire
Hackett (community worker) Ruairi Creaney
(ICTU youth sec), Fiona McCausland
(community worker & human rights activist)
and Peter Bunting (NIC-ICTU sec).
Union members and others gathered to
hear bureaucrats ask politicians to end their
political stalemate, as their time-wasting is
costing money, jobs and causing strife
amongst communities. We would argue that
their very existence is costing money, jobs
and strife.

Peter Bunting, addressed the crowd with the
type of stuff people expected him to say
and the stuff some people want to hear:
We, the people, demand that action
be taken to end political stalemate, to
end all violence and to end inter-
communal strife
We are convinced that the people of
Northern Ireland would like to see the
NI Assembly concentrate on delivering
decent public services, like schools and
hospitals, while facilitating more and
better jobs, especially for our young
people. We want an economy that
works for all.

Sounds great. Great but completely
detached from reality. The union leadership
are demanding the impossible!
The parties in the Stormont Executive
depend on sectarianism for their very
existence. Getting rid of sectarianism would
be getting rid of themselves. They are also
concentrating on public services like schools
and hospitals - by implementing cuts and
austerity measures!

We, as working class people, demand that
action be taken against the political state,
to end all violence and to end inter-
communal strife.
We are convinced th
at the working class
people of Northern Ireland would like to
see the assembly concentrate on things we
want to see, like giving the people back the
money they didn?t earn and taking a long
walk off a short pier. We want a society
that works for all of us.