Speakers at International Women’s Day, Belfast City Hall.

Suffragettes at International Women’s Day, Belfast City Hall.

Mairead Rooney braves the weather at International Women’s Day, Belfast.

Brain Moore and Damian Bannon at International Women’s Day, Belfast City Hall.

Linda Walker, CPI at International Women’s Day, Belfast City Hall.

The plans for both the dismantling the Housing Executive and the loss of the administration of Housing Benefit,  as a result of the governments Welfare Reform agenda is jeopardising our member’s jobs and their terms and conditions of service.  The loss of housing benefit will result in the loss of over 450 jobs.  This has left many members feeling betrayed at a time when the NIHE has provided over 40 years service to communities being commended and praised by some observers.  What price is loyalty?

The Minister adds to this disloyalty with the recent announcement that he intends to break-up and abolish the NIHE.  The Minister argues that his announcement is not abolishing the NIHE but about restructuring the services.  However in previous reports carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) for the Minister it was made clear the model now being suggested would result in the loss of over 1000 jobs.  NIPSA will fight to defend the jobs of NIPSA members.  The current crisis in provision of social housing has resulted in the failed strategy caused by the lack of investment by direct rule Ministers and the NI Assembly over the last two decades.  NIPSA will continue to argue that the Minister and the NI Executive should make strenuous representations to Westminster and Treasury to ensure the NIHE’s powers to borrow money is restored and the organisation which has a track record of delivering affordable social housing is maintained as a single housing body.

NIPSA member’s morale suffers with the lack of management leadership and continued government criticism.  NIPSA has lead from the front on the Fundamental Review.  NIPSA’s NIHE Central Panel has constructed a campaign model and has begun to contact many interested parties to seek their support.  NIPSA is seeking to garner support and develop a partnership with tenant groups, trades councils and others to challenge the Minister’s proposal.  Tenants will suffer if these proposals are allow to proceed with the resultant increase in rent, reduced provision and a disjointed service.

NIPSA knows it needs to fight to save the NIHE as a public service organisation and will be making it a priority over the next number of months and years.  If we can win the water charges arguments then we can win on this as well.

• The General Council is the most important elected group in the union.  It is tasked, on your behalf, with the general management and control of the union between our annual delegate conferences.  It has responsibility for progressing NIPSA policy, as determined at our annual conferences. The President, Vice-President and Treasurer are elected from this group and are part of its public face.
• Most importantly it has overarching authority for matters within the remit of both the Civil Service Executive Committee and the Public Officers Group.  This includes the Public Service Defence Campaign, which co-ordinates industrial action, campaigns against privatisation and other public policy matters, such as consideration of Welfare Reform, Review of the NI Housing Executive, Local Government Reform and Health Reform, amongst others.

What is NIPSA Unity?

NIPSA Unity are a group of independent NIPSA activists with considerable experience in serving your interests across all sectors of NIPSA, including the Civil Service Departments, the Public Officers Group including the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, District Councils, Health and Education sectors and the General Council.

Where do NIPSA Unity candidates differ from the Broad Left?

• The Broad Left demands that NIPSA adopt a party political stance and create a separate Political Fund, the main purpose of which is to fund party political candidates.  But NIPSA Unity candidates agree that having such a fund and “instructing” NIPSA members who to vote for or against in local elections, would damage our union.  We would lose our ability to lobby and influence politicians of all hues in the Assembly and in local councils, on the issues that are important to our members.  But we are not opposed to party politics. Indeed, some of us are actively involved in various political parties and political campaigns outside of NIPSA.  We believe however, it would be a mistake to simply write off the existing parties at this time.
• NIPSA has lobbied both the Assembly and Westminster on a range of issues, from the Review of NI Housing Executive, Health Reform, Welfare Reform, Planning Services, to the future of Vehicle Licensing Offices.  With a political fund in place we would not have been listened to with the same respect by those politicians.

Why should you vote for NIPSA Unity candidates?

• Because NIPSA Unity candidates are not directed by any outside political party, we are free to consider and deal with the issues before General Council, solely on their merits, always putting your interests first. We also bring that approach to the General Council’s sub-committees, where we have members in leading roles in the Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Global Solidarity and Youth Committees.

We have an impressive range of candidates from both the Civil Service and Public Officers side of the union.  All are either experienced lay representatives or seconded officers who work on members’ behalf on a daily basis.

Our list of Candidates is here

BRANCH NUMBER

Area of employment

531

22

8

523

230

77

59

27

8

22

503

15

521

21

15

515

15

270

214

733

228

8

731

The document contained five options for the future delivery of vehicle licensing services:

• Option 1- Do Nothing.
  • Option 2 – Channel shift of transactions and services and closure of all network offices at the same time.
  • Option 3 – Phased channel shift of transactions and services with two stage closure of the network, reducing from the existing 39 offices to 16 by autumn 2013 And closure of all offices by March 2015.
  • Option 4 – Phased channel shift of transactions and services followed by phased closure of all offices.
  • Option 5 – Phased channel shift of transactions and services, maintain a network of smaller offices co-located (where possible) in alternative government estates property.

Notwithstanding the fact the document was issued for consultation, the Under Secretary of State announced – “As a result of these proposals I expect the DVLA to centralise services at its Swansea offices and to deliver those services electronically and in partnership with others.  To this end, the DVLA will withdraw from its network of expensive, regionally located offices by the end of 2013.”

Impact in Northern Ireland

These proposals will have a direct impact on Northern Ireland.  This is because the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), an agency within the Department of the Environment, is responsible for the delivery of vehicle licensing services to this region on behalf of DVLA.  This work is undertaken under the terms of an agency agreement, with DVLA providing the funding and policy direction.

This funding by DVLA has provided for 323 posts in total, to be engaged in licensing services in Northern Ireland.  Of these staff, 263 are engaged whole time in vehicle licensing, with 60 posts engaged in support functions, funded in part by DVA.

Location of posts

The location of local licensing offices is as follows:

• Coleraine – 259 posts.
• Belfast – 23.5 posts.
• Ballymena – 8 posts.
• Omagh – 6 posts.
• Londonderry – 6 posts.
• Enniskillen – 5 posts.
• Armagh – 9.5 posts.
• Downpatrick – 7 posts.

Future provision of service

The favoured proposal is that the work undertaken in local offices in GB and under a service level agreement in Northern Ireland, will be replaced by the renewal of tax discs by both online and telephone services.  It is also proposed that some of the work will be transferred to the Post Office.  This will be facilitated by the enhancement of the GB IT system and the integration of the two currently separate IT systems in place, with the migration of the NI vehicle information to the GB database.

DVLA has a network of 39 local offices in GB, 10 of which also accommodate enforcement operations.  The offices provide over-the -counter registration and licensing services and the processing of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) enforcement work.

The Under Secretary of State has determined that, “subject to consultation”, Option 4 is the preferred option.  Under this option, the closure of offices and centralisation of services at DVLA’s Swansea Headquarters, would begin after all transactions and services have been migrated.  The estimated timescale for this in GB is June – October 2013.

An Excepted Matter

Vehicle Licensing and the collection of duty is not a transferred matter and there is therefore no legal authority for the NI Assembly to consider providing funding for the retention of service within DVA.

This proposal to close the offices is therefore a political matter which will be decided in GB, albeit with some consideration of the economic impact and following completion of an Equality Impact Assessment.

Concerns on service delivery and impact on local economy

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents the greatest number of staff within DVLA and NIPSA which represents the staff within DVA have common concerns on the consequences of these proposals on the future delivery of service and the adverse impact on the local and wider economy.  Some of these concerns are outlined below -

• Job Losses – the proposals will mean 1,200 job losses in GB, with a consequent loss of 323 lobs in N Ireland.

•  Reduced service levels are inevitable for the public and the motor trade, with the loss of expert, over the counter advice and assistance from highly trained and experienced staff.

•  In a survey of the motor trade in GB, PCS have established that they have significant concerns around such issues as speed of delivery of services and the loss of the collection service provided to car dealers.  The motor trade also expressed concern about the abandonment of  the facility to process “cherished transfers” over the counter in GB –a service still provided in NI and much valued.

•  There were also fears over the security of documents which will have to be posted under these proposals and the loss of local knowledge of experienced staff, who have been cited for their excellent customer care.

•  On an annual basis, the DVA (NI) registers 117,000 new vehicles, issues 1.4m vehicles licences, 229,000 driver licences, 4,000 taxi licences, 550 road freight operator licences, 6,800 road freight vehicle licences, 2,500 bus licences and 200 bus operator licences.  It does this with a customer satisfaction rating currently at 98%.  This customer satisfaction rating is certain to be compromised by these proposals.

•  It is highly doubtful that the current comprehensive service can be replicated by transactions conducted via the internet or at post offices.

•  The loss of the in-house expertise built up within the ranks of the DVLA and DVA public counter staff and back room staff will inevitably lead to a transfer of cost to business.  The motor trade, who rely heavily and beneficially on the current services provided, will have to engage their own clerical staff with sufficient knowledge of the licensing system to replace the service currently provided to them.

•  The accuracy of the vehicles database is ensured to some extent by enforcement via local licensing offices, which collect unpaid Vehicle Excise Duty and arrears of duty, issue penalties for late payment and exercise powers to impose a penalty for failure to give notification of a change in registered owner.  This database is relied upon to ensure compliance with the new policy on “continuous registration” and “continuous insurance” which obliges owners to declare that their vehicle is off the road or incur a penalty if it is detected in use.  Local offices are pro-active in tackling and deterring car crime, for example by noting counterfeit and stolen documents and engaging the police at short notice. The accuracy of the data base is likely to be compromised by centralisation.

•  The vehicles data base contains sensitive information, including addresses, dates of birth, registration plate numbers and credit card details.   Despite the sensitivity of this sort of information, it has been revealed that the IT company IBM has “off-shored” this information in its contract to run the London congestion charge for Transport for London.  This precedent, could pave the way for the Privatisation of licensing services with a clear threat that the vehicles database for the whole of the UK could be similarly off-shored.

•  The loss of over the counter services will have an adverse impact on, amongst others, the elderly, the traveller community, British Forces serving overseas, people who do not have English as a first language and others who rely on a face to face contact.

•  The vehicle licensing service provided by DVLA in GB operated under a trading fund until recently.  Under this regime it was able to retain much of its income from services to fund its administration and various development projects.  It had in fact built up a surplus of £120 million which was subsequently clawed back by central government, who then ordered a further £100 million in savings.  This was not an economic imperative, but rather political decision which has given rise to these proposals.

•  PCS has established that an increase in evasion of duty by a mere one half of one percent would outweigh the predicted savings under this proposal.  There is a reasonable concern that centralisation will have this impact on revenue. The loss of so many jobs to the economy and the transfer of additional cost to business at this time, is simply reckless.

•  Economists engaged by DVA have established that the impact on the local economy will be significant.  They noted that the claimant rate for Coleraine, at 5.4% is considerably higher than the UK average claimant rate of 3.9%.  Indeed all of the council areas in which the DVA has local offices have a higher level of claimants than the UK average.  In their view it was highly unlikely the private sector “would have the capacity to absorb all of those who would be directly or indirectly affected by the net loss of jobs as a result of centralising licensing services”.

•  The loss of jobs would not just affect the public sector.  The “Multiplier Effect” means that there will be knock-on effects on the private sector and a loss of demand in the local economy will mean a loss of jobs there too.  The economists concluded -

“It will not only affect the public sector, it could also have an impact on the private sector, given the multiplier effects. This is likely to be severely damaging to businesses in NI, particularly given the current economic landscape. Given how relatively weak the local labour market is, the timing of this proposal could not be worse and will be extremely damaging to the NI economy.”

 Michael Robinson

Assistant Departmental Secretary

18 June 2012

Coleraine Chronicle

Thursday, 28 June 2012

UNION chiefs have travelled to London in a bid to save 259 jobs at Coleraine’s Driver and Vehicle Agency.
Representatives from NIPSA and the PCS union were in Westminster to lobby MPs in constituencies affected by the proposed closure of local vehicle licensing offices across the UK.
The unions fear Tory reforms will see further centralisation of services at the DVLA’s headquarters in Swansea.
NIPSA’s Assistant Departmental Secretary Michael Robinson said: “We previously secured the support of local politicians for the retaining of Planning Services and MPs including Ian Paisley Jnr have said that ‘protecting public service jobs is crucial in the current economic climate’.
“We aim to convince MPs that the closure of the licensing function would have a devastating impact on the local economy, particularly in Coleraine, and will undoubtedly have a negative effect on the quality of the service.”
Unions say over 300 jobs in Northern Ireland are under threat – the majority of these (259) based in Coleraine.
They say the impact on the local economy will be significant since benefits reliance rate in Coleraine is already considerably higher than the UK average.
“Given how relatively weak the local labour market is, the timing of this proposal could not be worse and will be extremely damaging to the Northern Ireland economy,” continued Michael Robinson.
“DVA staff play an essential role in reducing vehicle fraud and ensuring vehicles are fit for the road and NIPSA will be working alongside the PCS for DVLA staff in England and Wales in the campaign to protect these jobs and the service.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood, whose department is responsible for driver and vehicle licensing in Northern Ireland, said he supported NIPSA in defending local jobs.
“I am very concerned about any threat to jobs, either in Coleraine or in local vehicle licensing offices, that may emerge from the ongoing examination by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of the options for the future delivery of vehicle licensing services following the planned integration of IT systems next year,” said Mr Attwood.
“In correspondence to, and meetings with, Ministers in the Department for Transport, I have made it clear that there should be no reduction in jobs. Even if the new IT system results in more tax discs being purchased online or through Post Offices, there is still a wide range of vehicle licensing services that could be delivered by staff in DVA, either for Northern Ireland customers or for customers across the UK.
“I have emphasised to Ministers in Britain the exceptionally high standards of service delivered by DVA and also the special economic conditions in Northern Ireland, our reliance on public sector jobs and the need for time to rebuild and rebalance the economy. I have made it clear that now is not the time to be cutting jobs.”

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Supporter Update June 2012 Dear Friend of Sadaka, Welcome to the new format Sadaka update!   Up until now, Sadaka has emailed you occasional emails in relation to specific pieces of work – usually limited to reports on speakers’ tours or to request your lobbying support.  However, there is a lot of other work going on in the background. This is the first of a new system of emailing you bi-monthly updates – these will be short, will focus on one or two areas of Sadaka’s work you don’t hear much about and will draw your attention to the latest Sadaka publications.  As always, we also encourage you to visitwww.sadaka.ie which will provide you with the latest articles, opinions and analysis on the  situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories from a wide range of sources across the globe.   Also, if you have not already formally become a Supporter of Sadaka, we strongly encourage and invite you to do so. The registration fee is relatively small and we are totally dependent on your voluntary contributions to finance our work.  To those of you who are already supporters –  thank you – your support and financial contributions are very much    appreciated! In solidarity with the people of Palestine, Marie Crawley, Chair Palestine resource available to schools – North and South!   Launch of Education Pack on Palestine for Secondary Schools The publication of this education resource, which will formally be available to secondary schools, North and South, is a milestone development. Since the beginning of 2010, Sadaka has been working in partnership with the Education for Reconciliation project (a partnership of the CDVEC Curriculum Development Unit and the Centre for Cross Border Studies – funded by the EU through the Peace Programme) to develop a resource for secondary school teachers entitled ‘Palestine – Israel: A Case Study in International Law, Human Resources and Conflict Resolution.’   The resource has been piloted by secondary teachers, North and South, and will be available for use in schools throughout Ireland from September 2012. This project is the first of its kind in Ireland and is designed so that it suits both the Transition Year requirements in the Republic of Ireland and the Local and Global Citizenship curriculum in Northern Ireland.  It is aimed at increasing young people’s understanding of the causes and context of the situation of the Palestinian people.  The resource was launched at the closing conference of the Education for Reconciliation Project in Derry on 25th April – but watch this space for details of a dedicated launch over the next couple of months.  Our sincere thanks to Dr. Elaine Murtagh, Board member of Sadaka, and our partners in the Education for Reconciliation project for their tireless dedication, commitment and sheer hard work in developing this resource over the past 2 years. Tour to Palestine for Irish Academics Focus on the Palestinian Right to Education – Learn about the Occupation Sadaka is organising a visit of Irish academics to Palestine from 16th – 21st September 2012.  The tour will include visits to Bethlehem, Bir Zeit (Ramallah) and Al Najah (Nablus) universities.  The itinerary will also feature a tour of settlements in East Jerusalem, a visit to a Refugee camp and various other site visits to, and presentations from, NGOs and businesses active in the Occupied West Bank.  The visit aims to inform participants about the Palestinian Right to Education Campaign, to begin the process of organising a return trip by Palestinian academics and to develop formal and informal relationships between Irish and Palestinian academics and institutions.  The visit is being organised by Sadaka Board member, Dr. Des McGuinness. If you are interested in taking part in the tour or would like more information, please contact Des on desmcg@gmail.com   This is one not to be missed! Move towards Ban on Settlement Goods For the past year and a half, Sadaka has been working alongside EAPPI, Christian Aid and Trócaire on the issue of Settlement Goods.  In a letter to Sadaka in August 2011, Eamon Gilmore, Minister for Foreign Affairs, stated that Ireland was in favour of banning settlement goods but cautioned that such a move would be unlikely to win support from other EU states. On 14 May, the EU Foreign Affairs Council approved a very strong statement on Israel/Palestine, which pointed out that Israel’s actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are undermining the possibility of a Palestinian state being created.  The Council specifically condemned Israel’s relentless settlement expansion and its forcing of Palestinians out of East Jerusalem and Area C, and demanded that these activities cease.  Ireland was one of the states that pressed for this strong statement.  Eamon Gilmore is also to press for follow up action at the Foreign Affairs Council in the autumn.  He told Dáil Éireann on 22 July: “I suggested at the Council [on 14 May] that in view of the urgency of these issues on the ground, Ministers should look at them  again in the autumn to see if the situation had improved or was continuing to worsen. I suggested that if matters continued to worsen and our existing actions had not improved them, we would clearly need to consider stronger actions.  The exclusion from the EU of settlement products and of individual settlers engaged in violence, should, in that case, be considered.” We strongly welcome this stance by the Minister. Sadaka and others both in Ireland and throughout the EU will continue our work to push for an EU-wide ban on settlement goods.  Watch this space for further developments. Latest Sadaka Publications Ireland may propose an EU Ban on Settlement Goods Ireland may propose an EU ban on settlement goods in the autumn, Foreign Minister, Eamon Gilmore, told Dáil Éireann on 22 May 2012.  He was reporting on the outcome of the EU Foreign Affairs Council a week earlier, which made unprecedented criticism of Israel’s ongoing actions in East Jerusalem and Area C, in particular, settlement building and the forcing out of Palestinians.  This briefing discusses the Council’s conclusions and the reports by the EU heads of mission to Palestine, which contributed to these conclusions. http://www.sadaka.ie/Articles/Briefings/BRIEFING-Ireland_may_propose_an_EU_ban.pdf Dr. David Morrison Without External Pressure on Israel, a Palestinian State is Unattainable In July 2011, Eamon Gilmore, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade, stated:”The continuing Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories is at the heart of the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict. … It is the continuing occupation, and the creation and growth of illegal settlements on the occupied lands, which are now the major obstacles to peace.” This briefing asks the question: how can  these obstacles be eliminated, so that a sovereign Palestinian state can come into being?  We conclude that they will not be eliminated simply by direct negotiations between Israel and Palestinians.  They will only be eliminated by external pressure on Israel to cease settlement building and end the occupation.  Absent that pressure from the US and/or EU, the two political entities that have leverage over Israel, in our view a sovereign Palestinian state is unattainable. http://www.sadaka.ie/Articles/Briefings/BRIEFING-Palestinian-state-unattainable.pdf Dr. David Morrison Home Demolitions The demolition of Palestinian homes is politically motivated and strategically informed. The goal is to confine the 4 million residents of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza to small enclaves, thus effectively foreclosing any viable Palestinian state, ensuring Israeli control and to allow for the expropriation of land, the ethnic displacement of Palestinians, and the extension of Israel’s settlement programme. This latest section on the Sadaka website provides a detailed account of the history and current policy of home demolitions with particular emphasis on Area C and East Jerusalem.           Sadaka Home Demolitions page Caitlín Ní Chonaill The Nakba Al Nakba (‘catastrophe’ or ‘disaster’ in Arabic) is the name given to the organised expulsion of approximately 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands by Zionist forces in 1948, the year the state of Israel was established. From its formation, the official position of the Israeli state is has been one of denial that this terrible event ever happened. http://www.sadaka.ie/Articles/Factsheets/FACTSHEET-Nakba.pdf Dr. Des McGuinness Recommended reading Our website home page contains links to interesting contemporary Articles, Reports, Opinions (including Videos) which is updated on a regular basis. Some recent examples are: Israel  stripped 1/4 million Palestinians of residency rights between 1967 and 1994:  report (Al Arabiya, 12 June 2012) Israel: The injustice and secrecy surrounding  administrative detention of Palestinians (Amnesty International, 6 June 2012) Full report here Video: The Great Book Robbery, Israel’s 1948 looting of  Palestine’s cultural heritage (Electronic Intifada, May 2012)  Become a Sadaka Supporter If you have not already become a formal supporter of Sadaka – we encourage you to please do so.  The fee for registration is €30 / £25 per year (more if you can, less if you can’t). The finances we raise through supporter donations are crucial to support our work. So – please – if you like what we do – use the following link to register and make your donation using a variety of payment options.   http://sadaka.ie/Home/Donate.html In advance, many thanks! Sadaka – the Ireland Palestine Alliance

Any support you could offer by attending the picket lines would be appreciated.

Starved of Justice – Amnesty Report