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SEA attacks Council plans to cut leisure facilities and wages

uploaded 9th March 2004

The Socialist Environmental Alliance (SEA) has branded as 'ludicrous' recent comments by the Town Clerk and Chief Executive regarding the current Council crisis over cuts in local leisure facilities and wages.

According to spokesperson Oisín Kehoe, "workers would not be fooled by Town Clerk Anthony McGurk's claims that council intends to create working practices that benefit all members of staff."

"The only people who would benefit from these proposals" claims the SEA spokesperson, "will be management who are being let off the hook while all the blame is shifted onto the shoulders of ordinary council employees. What we are seeing is workers and local communities paying the price for council bosses' mismanagement," the spokesperson continued.

The SEA is also concerned at "the erosion of public land with the proposed closure of City Baths and Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre."

"I would suggest that we are seeing a dangerous pattern evolving wherein public land is sold off to private developers in order to pay for council mistakes, while the leisure facilities that existed on this land are crammed onto whatever council sites are left. Why else would the council move to close City Baths on William St. to relocate five minutes up the hill at Brooke Park?" asked Mr. Kehoe.

"And can it also be assumed then that the urgently required upgrading of Brandywell Stadium, on which Derry City FC's survival depends, will not now take place?"

The spokesperson also drew comparisons with the controversial selling off of Maysfield Leisure Centre by Belfast City Council which, like Lisnagelvin, is used by people from all community backgrounds. "It is perhaps no coincidence that both the Derry facilities and Maysfield Leisure Centre are in areas where the private sector would love to get their hands on the land."

Mr Kehoe concluded, "Council management complain about the amount of overtime paid but we are outraged that workers should feel they have to work so much overtime to earn a decent wage."

"There are enough poverty wages in Derry, with pay being amongst the lowest in the UK --- for the council to propose salary cuts of up to 50% is an absolute disgrace. We would urge workers to fight these attacks on their living standards and encourage local communities to organise against any of the proposed closures."





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