Oppose the privatisation of the community sector – defend jobs and services!

Statement of support by Anti Austerity Alliance TDs for today’s protest organised by the community sector at the Dept of Environment

Speaking ahead of today’s community sector protest against the implementation of the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP) Anti Austerity Alliance TD Ruth Coppinger said:

“Today’s anticipated announcement by the Department of the Environment whereby the ‘winners’ of a bidding process to carry on community development work amounts to a major step in the privatisation of that sector.

“I fully support the stand being taken by existing projects who rightly see what is happening as a threat to jobs and services that comes on top of cumulative cuts averaging 35% during the course of the crisis. The whole process leading to today’s announcement excluded the input of those who have been delivering vital services to local communities as well as the service users.

“Likewise that manner in which the bidding process has been organised has essentially placed existing projects in competition with each other, a cynical ploy designed to cut across a unified campaign spanning the entire sector.

Paul Murphy TD added:

“This is not simply a question of opening the door to for-profit outfits to bid their way into the community sector but the very tendering criteria with it’s over focus on top down targets suggests a change in the manner of service delivery that doesn’t begin with assessing the needs of people on the ground. This is another example of the obsession that exists in the political establishment and higher echelons of the civil service to crudely transpose private sector practices into other sectors on the prejudiced assumption that there is something suspect about how services have been delivered to date by existing projects.”

“Today’s mobilisation is an important step in the struggle to defend jobs and services. It’s unlikely to end today as the results of the bidding process will give us a firmer indication of what jobs and services are likely to suffer. Any future steps taken by the existing projects, their union or the Spectacle of Defiance that serves to push back this privatisation agenda deserves our full support.”

Ends

 

For information and confirmation:

 

Michael O’Brien 0872400331