Thursday January 01 1970
Thursday's Public Sector Strike March and Rally
dublin |
worker & community struggles and protests |
event notice 
Sunday November 29, 2009 20:00
by Gregor Kerr - Chair District XIV Irish National Teachers Organisation
kerrgregor at yahoo dot co dot uk
0861501151
Strike Day
Thursday 3rd December
Protest Rally
Assemble at Department of Education & Science, Marlborough St. at 10:30a.m.
March to Dáil Éireann, leaving Marlborough St. at 11:30a.m.
At a special emergency meeting of District XIV and XV Committees of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) held yesterday (Sat.) afternoon, it was decided to hold a march and rally to coincide with the public sector strike day planned for Thursday next 3rd December.
This decision has since been endorsed by the other Dublin INTO Districts so all INTO members in Dublin are being requested to assemble at the Department of Education & Science, Marlborough Street at 10:30a.m. on Thursday for a rally, followed by a march to Dáil Éireann, leaving Marlborough Street at 11:30a.m.
Last Tuesday's strike day saw a hugely successful picket of the DES with up to 5,000 members of INTO and IMPACT taking part at some stage during the day and over 2,000 people present at its height. This picket gave everybody who participated in it a tremendous sense of solidarity, strength and empowerment. The clip which was shown on 'Tonight with Vincent Browne' on Tuesday night (http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=tonightwithvincentb...16530) gives some indication of the power, passion and belief present on the day. Contrast this energy and enthusiasm with the utterances of trade union 'leaders' such as Peter McLoone and Jack O'Connor both before and since Tuesday's strike day.
As you're aware negotiations have been ongoing since Tuesday and it's clear that the stance being taken by those 'representing' us in the talks is far removed from the outright opposition to pay cuts espoused by ordinary members (See, for example, http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/1128....html) In this context it is vitally important that if Thursday's strike day goes ahead that we have a large and vibrant presence on the streets delivering a clear and unambiguous message to both government and trade union leaders that pay cuts are not acceptable in any guise and that ordinary workers - be they public or private sector - cannot be made to pay for the financial crisis.
It is hoped therefore that other public sector workers who are on strike on the day will be able to join with this INTO march and rally, and that other groups of workers and unemployed will take the opportunity to join with us and say No to paycuts and No to cuts in public services.
Please do everything you can to publicise this march and rally among your contacts and maybe you might be able to have your union branch/community group or other organisation endorse it.
If you want any further information, please contact Gregor Kerr on 0861501151 or by Email - [email protected]. Together let’s make Thursday’s protest even more successful than last week’s and let’s deliver a very strong message of solidarity and strength.
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3Looks like McLoone, Begg and O'Connor are falling over themselves to 'do a deal'. If they do what'll the reaction be?
Here is a message from Paddy Healy, chair of the National Public Service Alliance
ICTU Sell-out on way!
Public service trade unionists were shocked to hear Peter McClune, Chair of Public Services Committee, ICTU, announce that he was about to negotiate a cut of 1.3 billion in the public service pay bill as we left the picket lines.. Some were even more shocked to hear Jack O Connor, President of both Siptu and ICTU, repeat the McClune mantra that we must do vastly more with less resources in his Markewicz Lecture. There has been no denial of the quote in Irish Times which has Jack O Connor saying that pay rose too steeply during the boom at an ICTU seminar.
ICTU has no mandate to negotiate cuts in public service pay and cuts in public service provision. Trade unionists should campaign for the resignation of any trade union leader who advocates such capitulatory policies.
The vast majority of citizens support increased taxation of the wealthy as demonstrated in recent opinion polls.
As George Lee asserted at McGill Summer School, most of the money borrowed from foreign banks is still in the country.
There is a simple way of collecting it which is in operation in many countries throughout the world. It is called Wealth Tax or Assets Tax. This can be designed to exclude family home and farmland. Why not an emergency “patriotic” contribution from the rich to tide the country over coming year?
I append below an outline of the French Wealth Tax System which is available on internet
If cuts in public service pay and public service provision go ahead, we must prepare the biggest and most effective campaign ever mounted leading into the next general election.
Paddy Healy, School of Physics DIT , [email protected] m 086-4183732
French Wealth Tax (ISF)Updated 2009
TAXABLE ASSETS
French Wealth Tax is payable on net assets above 790000€ held on 1st January. French residents must include all worldwide assets and send in their declaration and payment by 15th June.
"Non-residents" with property in France are only liable for wealth tax on assets phyisically situated in France (therefore excluding purely financial investments) and have slightly longer to declare (17th July for Europeans and 31st August for non Europeans). Residency is defined by French law and is not simply a matter of being present for 183 days. If in doubt, please contact us.
The French parliament has agreed partial exemption for five years from French wealth tax for most people moving to France after 6th August 2008. This is part of the Loi de la Modernisation de l'Economie approved during summer 2008 (when most French were away on holiday!). Amongst other objectives this law aims to encourage high-earning professionals to move to France. The ISF exemption is similar to the existing US treaty and the proposed Anglo-French treaty - although the latter is still awaiting approval. The exemption only covers assets outside France, so careful financial planning is necessary. Newcomers may now prefer to choose appropriate foreign assets that fall under favorable French tax rules - but beware of the additional costs of living off foreign assets... Please contact us for full details.
Assets must be consolidated for all members of the household. Couples must make a joint declaration whether married or not. Assets held by children below 18 years of age must also included.
Assets include
- Land & buildings (Principal & secondary residences, rental property, ...)
- Financial investments (quoted & unquoted stocks & shares, bank accounts, ...)
- Jewellery and precious stones
- Furniture
- Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Aeroplanes, ...
Even if you are not the owner, simply having the right to live somewhere or receive income can be enough to make you liable on the capital value.If you own shares in a property company (eg SCI), your declaration is based on the value of the underlying property.
WEALTH TAX RATES
To calculate the tax, add up the total value of assets for the household and deduct all outstanding debts and overdrafts as at 1st January. You then apply the rates from the following table:
The 2009 tax bands for ISF are
- to 790000€ 0%
- 790,000 to 1,280,000€ 0.55 %
- 1,280,000 to 2,520,000€ 0.75 %
- 2,520,000 to 3,960,000€ 1.00 %
- 3,960,000 to 7,570,000€ 1.30 %
- 7,570,000 to 16,480,000€ 1.65 %
above 16,480,000€ 1.80 %
B*stards
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