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Statements by Our Candidates in the 2005 Elections

Eamonn McCann, SEA candidate for Foyle and for Waterside Rural

SEA Welcomes Jobs Boost - but warns of loss of 1,000 civil service jobs

Monday, April 25th 2005

The SEA welcomes the news of a possible 500 new civil service jobs to Derry. We badly need them. However, before those currently looking for work start to celebrate new opportunities, it's important to put the good news into context.

The truth is that, unless there is a sea change in the way this city is represented, there are likely to be 500 fewer civil service jobs in Derry by the end of 2006 ­ even if all the 500 new jobs are brought to Derry. This is because we stand to lose up to 1,000 of the civil service jobs we have at present.

Gordon Brown's across the board cuts in the Civil Service include the loss of two to three thousand jobs in the North of Ireland. SEA candidate for Cityside, Liam Friel, a NIPSA union activist, tells me that NIPSA expect 700-800 of these job losses to fall in Derry.

Add to these all the civil service jobs about to be lost to contracting out ­ like the Human Resources jobs in Orchard House ­ and we have a potential 1,000 civil service jobs lost to the city. All of this has been known for some time now. But instead of concentrating on stopping these losses, the established parties have been more interested in fighting about the name of the city and wrong-footing their rivals within their own community.

Unemployment is one of the biggest problems facing the people of Derry. We need to fight to save every job that is under threat, the moment we know it is threatened. Then, we will be able to welcome good news like the 500 new jobs without looking for the sting in the tail.





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