‘Outrage and anger’ at treatment of Arena gym staff

Posted on July 31, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

Staff learn of closure via social media

Update

” I have learnt this morning that all staff have now received their wages for July” – Chris

Chris Bailie of the Workers Party has spoken of his anger and outrage at news that staff at the Arena Gym at the north Belfast Cityside complex found out via social media that their jobs were gone and that there was no money to pay their wages.

‘It is completely unacceptable that staff should be treated in this way’ Chris said ‘and that they should also be left without wages despite the fact that I have been told the gym was accepting membership fees up to three days before the closure’

‘I understand that up to 14 people are directly effected; seven full time staff and seven part time staff or staff paying to use the gym for personal training and other courses’, Chris said

‘I have spoken with a number of employees and they are justifiably angry at the way in which this has been handled and with the owners lack of consultation and communication with them’ Chris added. ‘ I am also contacting union representative to see what can be done about the wages which have not been paid’, he said.

A crowdfunding page has been opened seeking donations to help assist those who have not been paid for their last month’s work. See https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Arena for details

Proud to support PRIDE 2016

Posted on July 30, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

PRIDE 2016 Once again the Workers Party will be proud to support the LGBT community at the PRIDE parade on Saturday 6th August.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people are full citizens of Northern Ireland, contributors to this community and have every right to expect the same level of protection, support and legal safeguards as everyone else.

Throughout the year Party members have participated in rallies and demonstrations in support of marriage equality, marched against attacks on the LGBT community, participated in the Foyle PRIDE parade and presented a ‘Petition of Concern’ at DUP headquarters in protest against that party’s persistent blocking of an Assembly vote on marriage equality

Education: publicly funded and free at the point of access

Posted on July 26, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

Education is an investment in young people

As Queen’s University Belfast proposes increases in tuition fees Workers Party representative Lily Kerr has re-affirmed the Party’s call for an education system which is publicly funded and free at the point of access

“There is no shortage of models, variations or proposals for how third level education should be funded and there is no shortage of people, many of whom benefited from a debt free education themselves, who now wish to pull the ladder up behind them and turn education into a commodity”, Lily said.

“The Workers Party stands for a publicly funded education system, free at the point of access, free of tuition fees and free of future debt”, she said

“We see further and higher education as an investment in young people, the economy and society: not as a commodity or as a means to reclaim the public money used to bail out banks and financial institutions”, Lily concluded.

Weir tells Wilson – ‘Withdraw your remarks and apologise’

Posted on July 22, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

breastfeeding_ Workers Party representative Gemma Weir has told East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson to withdraw his remarks about breastfeeding being ‘voyeuristic and exhibitionist’ and to publicly apologise for his comments.

‘Breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed your baby and nothing to be ashamed of. With breastfeeding rates in the UK among the lowest in the world Mr Wilson’s comments are offensive, and ill-informed and do nothing to promote and highlight the benefits for both mum and baby,’ Gemma said’

‘Sammy Wilson and others who hold similar views can be dismissed as outdated and prudish, but their underlying agenda is one which seeks to tell women what they can do, how they can do it and of course where they can do it’, Gemma added.

‘The choice of how to feed your baby is for each mother to decide but if that choice is to breastfed their baby then they should be supported and encouraged as all the research shows’, she said.

‘Sammy Wilson must withdraw his remarks, publicly apologise and understand the effect these kinds of remarks have on breastfeeding mums and mums to be’, Gemma concluded.

The UK has some of the lowest rates of breastfeeding:

Rates of breastfeeding in the UK are amongst the lowest in the world

More information on the benefits of breastfeeding from NHS Choices:

NHS Choices_Benefits of breastfeeding

Show your faces and explain yourselves – says Bailie

Posted on July 6, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

‘Identify yourselves and justify your actions’ Bailie

Local Workers Party representative Chris Bailie has condemned the threats made against Housing Executive contractors in the New Lodge area and has challenged those responsible to say who they are, explain exactly what they are threatening and what they think it will achieve.

“Despite ceasefires, The Good Friday and other agreements and an unambiguous rejection of violence by an overwhelming majority of people here, there are still some people who lurk in the shadows, threaten violence, disrupt the community and attempt to terrorise working people.

I am calling on them to publicly identify themselves and justify their actions. The reality is that they won’t because there is no justification for what they do. Neither is there any support. As with other forms of violent actions and threats a united community response which rejects these people once and for all is the best and only lasting response”, Chris said

A woman’s right to choose

Posted on July 3, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

Party members take part in the ‘Rally for Choice’

‘Rally for Choice’

Northern Ireland is still dominated by socially conservative voices and they are having an adverse and traumatising effect on local women. That was the clear message as thousands of people marched though Belfast yesterday demanding legislation which would secure a woman’s right to have choices and control of her own fertility.

The Workers Party recognises that women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices. We highlighted the introduction of a ‘Woman’s Right to Choose’ legislation as one of the ten priorities the new Assembly should address in it’s first 100 days.

The Party also supports a full programme of secular sex education for schools, free access to contraception, proper health and social care for pregnant women, including specialist care for those women who chose to carry to term pregnancies where fatal foetal abnormalities are present, the provision of appropriate free and quality child care facilities and adequate support for single and low income parents.

Ordinary people refused to be bullied, intimidated and dismissed’ – Pilger

Posted on July 2, 2016 by workersparty.northern ireland

John Pilger

The media reaction and analysis of the successful leave vote in the EU referendum has been interesting. Apparently to whole point of having a referendum is to have another one if you don’t like the result.

Leave voters have been accused of being responsibility for an increase in racist attacks, for being small minded and of being anti European.

Local political reaction has been similarly alarming. Both the SDLP and Sinn Fein have blamed ‘English nationalists’ for the Leave result. Seems that nationalism is OK as long as it’s Irish.

There is of course another and more grounded reason why the leave vote won: millions of ordinary people simply rejected the political and economic direction of the European Union.

The European Union serves the interests of big business, multinational corporations and the financial institutions. Its policies have made the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Journalist John Pilger’s article sheds some light on the real issues and the real reasons why the majority of people voted leave.

The majority vote by Britons to leave the European Union was an act of raw democracy

Workers Party Northern Ireland

socialist, secular, anti-sectarian

Monthly Archives: July 2016

‘Outrage and anger’ at treatment of Arena gym staff

Proud to support PRIDE 2016

Education: publicly funded and free at the point of access

Weir tells Wilson – ‘Withdraw your remarks and apologise’

Show your faces and explain yourselves – says Bailie

A woman’s right to choose

Ordinary people refused to be bullied, intimidated and dismissed’ – Pilger

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