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Organising against water charges in Derry-Londonderry

Sunday 14th November 2004

As more and more communities across the city get organised to stop the introduction of water charges, a meeting is being held in Creggan this Sunday night, 14th November. The meeting, which begins at 7.30pm in Creggan Neighbourhood Partnership (otherwise known as The Corned Beef Tin!), will provide information on the water charges from anti-poverty campaigners and trade unionists.

One of the organisers of Sunday night’s meeting, Liam Friel, says "it’s important that people in Creggan, as elsewhere, get organised now to resist this unfair double tax on water.  Water is a necessity of life, we have no choice about whether or not to use it. To turn it into another product to be bought and sold is a disgrace.

"We hope that the meeting will decide to set up a Creggan Community Against the Water Tax group.  We will ensure that there is lots of time for discussion so people can ask any questions they might have and contribute any ideas about how to organise to stop the charges.

"Already, we have an amazing response from people in Creggan. They say that they simply cannot afford to pay out more. So many families are already struggling to get by on low wages and miserly benefits. Yet even those on the lowest incomes ­ including pensioners ­ will be expected to pay three quarters of the £300-£400 a year that is the proposed average charge."

Communities Against the Water Tax campaigns in both Protestant and Catholic areas against the privatisation of the Water Service and the related introduction of water charges. It advocates a mass campaign of non-payment which, it says, has worked elsewhere to stop the introduction of such charges.  





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