Major conference organised to set demands
Mayday
Fighting Unemployment and Supporting the Welfare State
Press Release 25/7/1999
MAYDAY the national umbrella organisation of trade union, unemployed and community activists/groups at their recent meeting in Clondalkin, Dublin yesterday, Saturday 24th July, agreed to call a national conference to formally put their demands onto the Irish political agenda.
Vincent Mc Devitt one of the organisers of Jubilee 2000 addressed the meeting and told of the 17 million signatures presented to the G8 summit recently in Cologne of which Ireland supported, to the amount of 810,000 signatures calling on the World Bank and the International Monetary Federation to cancel the debt of third world countries. He likened the stranglehold of the un-elected World Bank and the I.M.F. over many poor countries as a modern form of slavery. Mayday agreed to support upcoming campaigns against the World Bank and the I.M.F. and to write to the Minister of Finance Mr.Charlie McCreevy calling on him to push for the total cancellation of the world debt.
Joe Doherty from the Donegal branch of MAYDAY called for the full exposure of the corrupt workings of the EU social fund and in particular the way groups were being use in local partnerships to "create jobs for the boys".
Joe Barrett, Portlaoise Unemployed Group and national spokesperson of MAYDAY slammed the way local authorities were cutting back on their services and placing their duties on voluntary organisations, with little financial support.
Martin Walsh, Scheme Workers' Alliance, criticised Mary Harney's recent axing of 5,000 CE schemes and called for these places to be re-instated immediately.
Bob Bickerdike, Youghal Mayday group, questioned the equality of Partnership 2,000, pointing to the fact that the PESP, the PNR and the PCW had not delivered to those most in need and urged those in the social partnership to desist from entering post P2,000 agreements as it only increased the wallets of the boss classes.
The national conference is scheduled to take place on Friday 10th December, (The international day of Human rights) the topics to be discussed are,
The right to social and economic justice.
The right to work.
The democratic right to strike and organise.
The right to retain existing gains and have a higher standard of living.
The need to extend and expand the welfare state.
The right to adequate public services, housing and environment.
The right to control the wealth we produce.
The venue and speakers will be announced at a later date.
ENDS/.
Joe Barrett National Spokesperson of Mayday.
Further information Phone/Fax 0502 20806 e-mail
