NIPSA Reports February 2013

NIPSA has again flagged up the “anti-worker impact”of outsourcing to the private sector after Capita an-nounced it had acquired education technology firmNorthgate Managed Services.Less than a year ago 17 C2K staff were transferred under

TUPE legislation from the Western Education and LibraryBoard to Northgate Managed Services. The transfer involved many months of discussion between

C2K and WELB management and Northgate to ensure mem-bers’ terms and conditions of service were fully protected. Agreement was also reached that the members would re-

main in the NILGOSC pension scheme with Northgateagreeing to continue with the employer contribution levels.This contract was worth £170 million, paid for by publicfunds. However, it was reported on February 15 that Capita have

acquired Northgate Managed Services from its parent com-pany, Northgate Information Solutions, in a £65 million deal(www.educationinvestor.co.uk and www.channelweb.co.uk).According to the union, the deal – involving £22 million in

cash, with the rest made up by assumptions relating to pen-sion deficit and finance leases for equipment – highlights the

complicated dealings surrounding privatisation and outsourc-ing with an apparent disregard for the workers affected bysuch transactions.Assistant Secretary Paddy Mackel said: “This is just one

more example of the anti worker impact of outsourcing workto the private sector. When rumours started to circulate afew months ago, NIPSA sought assurances from Northgateabout the possibility of the business being sold off. “At that time all the company would only state was ‘there

were no current plans to sell off any part of the business’. Ascan be seen by this announcement NIPSA and our memberswere not told the whole truth as clearly negotiations were on-going with a view to selling this business.”A meeting has now been sought with the Western Educa-

tion and Library Board who retain overall responsibility forensuring the delivery of this multi-million pound project.Mr Mackel added: “NIPSA will do everything in its power to

ensure that our members remain fully protected, particularlyin respect of their pay and terms and conditions, but also –importantly – their pension provision through NILGOSC.This should be a warning to all members about the dangersof privatising any public service.”

THE NJC Employers Side have un-derlined to NJC trade unions thatthey are committed to reaching acollective agreement on NJC payfor 2013.However, both of the options put to

TUS have been dubbed “derisory”,coming as they do after four years ofno pay increases. These options are:

Option 1n 1.0% on all pay points from 1 April2013n NJC mileage rates to be replaced byHMRC Approved Mileage Rates (effec-

tively 45p per mile for the first 10,000miles – no essential car user); n Unilateral arbitration clause replacedby bilateral reference – effectively theEmployers Side would refuse to go toarbitration; n One day increase in basic annualleave from 21 days to 22 days; n Increase in continuous service enti-tlements for the purposes of annualleave, occupational maternityleave/pay and occupational sick pay.

Option 2n 1.0% on pay points 4 to 10.n 0.6% on all pay points 11 and above. The above offer will be considered by

all NJC trade unions.Describing it as “a deplorable offer by

the employers”, NIPSA Deputy GeneralSecretary Alison Millar said: “Manypublic sector workers such as schoolsupport staff, Local Government work-ers, Further Education administrativeand support staff – many who are lowpaid workers have received no pay in-creases for the last four years, manyrely on top up payments through thebenefit system. “This derisory offer will do nothing for

their morale nor will it make a differ-ence to them in seeking to supporttheir families.”

NEWSPAPER OF NORTHERN IRELAND’S LEADING PUBLIC SERVICE TRADE UNION www.nipsa.org.ukTel: 028 90661831FEBRUARY 2013

NEWS INDEX FEARS OVER NICSCOMP SCHEME

PSNI JUDICIAL REVIEW IS DELAYED

FIGHT TO SAVE NIHE GOES ON

SHARED SERVICE FEARS FORFE COLLEGESPage 3Page 2 Page 5 Page 7

NIPSAReports

Northgate sell-off‘a warning to all’

NIPSA conferencefirst for EnniskillenNIPSA will be holding itsseries of annual confer-ences in Enniskillen thisyear for the first time.

The Public Officers’Group Conference will beheld in the WestvilleHotel on the afternoon ofTuesday, May 28.

Meanwhile, the Killy-hevlin Hotel will host theCivil Service Group Con-ference, also on May 28.

The Killyhevlin will alsostage the main NIPSAConference, which willrun from Wednesday,May 29 until lunchtime onFriday, May 31.

Branches will have al-ready received the 2012

Annual Report and thefirst tranche of documen-tation covering the 2013conferences from NIPSAHeadquarters.

The key dates to keepin mind for the 2013NIPSA Conferences are:n Friday, March 15 (2pm):Deadline for receipt ofmotions and nomina-tions,n Thursday, April 25:Deadline for receipt ofdelegates/trainee dele-gates and crèche applica-tions,n Tuesday, May 28:Group Conferences, andn Wednesday, May 29 toFriday, May 31: NIPSAConference.

New look to union website

The union has given its website a major overhaul with a cleaner andfresher look we hope the members enjoy

NIPSA pledges to supportColombian trade unionistsfighting for democracy –See page 7 for story

Employers table options on NJC pay 2013

Who scoops to conquer? – See story on page 6 to find out

Picture: Kevin Cooper

NIPSA Reports 2013 February 13/03/2013 10:55 Page 1

NEWSPage 2 NIPSA Reports www.nipsa.org.uk

NIPSAReportsNIPSA Harkin House, 54 Wellington Park,

Belfast BT9 6DP, Tel: 028 90661831 Fax 028 90665847or email: [email protected] Editorial contact details: Bob Milleremail: [email protected]

Correspondence should be sent to the above address.Unless otherwise stated, the views contained inNIPSA Reports do not necessarily reflect the

policy of trade union NIPSA.

REMINDER...Make sure your contact details arecorrect... membership update details on back page

OPINION

THE downgrading of the UK’s credit worthiness bythe rating agency Moody’s has put the ChancellorGeorge Osborne in a spot. Where previously he ar-gued strongly that the cuts in public spending werecritical to protect the credit rating and the ability toborrow at lower rates, he is now downplaying thesignificance of the credit rating for the economy.

Watch this space, however, as it is possible he willuse the downgrading at some stage to justify furthercuts to public spending.

The March 2013 budget is expected to feature a planto switch expenditure from resource or running costs tocapital spending. This will be warmly welcomed by thebusiness sector as a growth initiative, especially for theconstruction sector, and may well be used by the Chan-cellor as a means of restoring the triple A credit rating.

For public servants and for those reliant on publicservices, however, it doesn’t signal good news.

Any reduction in running costs budgets will furtheradversely impact staffing levels and this will create evengreater pressures to cut back on public service jobs.Any increase in jobs in the construction sector, there-fore, will be negated by reductions in public sector jobsand services.

If this does happen it will coincide with the report fromthe children’s charity Barnardos which highlighted that,of all local authority areas in the UK, Derry and BelfastCity Council areas were placed fourth and fifth respec-tively with rates of child poverty at 35% and 34%.

Out of the 650 parliamentary constituencies, WestBelfast was the second highest with 43% of children

growing up in poverty. Manchester Central recorded thehighest levels of child poverty. According to the localdirector of Barnardos, this equates to 100,000 childrenliving in poverty in Northern Ireland.

This comes at a time when the Northern Ireland As-sembly is considering the implementation of the UKGovernment’s welfare reform to Northern Ireland. Of allthe devolved regions in the UK, Northern Ireland isunique in that social security is devolved to the Assem-bly.

NIPSA along with a number of community-based or-ganisations has been leading the campaign of opposi-tion to welfare reform and we have made the point that alarge percentage of citizens who stand to lose as a re-sult of these changes to the welfare/social security sys-tem are people in work, including many NIPSAmembers.

These so-called reforms will increase poverty inNorthern Ireland – especially child poverty. The IrishCongress of Trade Unions is calling upon all MLAs to re-ject the Welfare Reform Bill which will be considered bythe Assembly over the coming weeks.

Further protests and lobbying on this issue are alsobeing organised. In the light of the Barnardos’ research,it is clear that, if our local politicians really want to makea difference – especially by tackling poverty – they cando so by voting against this Bill.

The cuts resulting from the Welfare Reform Bill willnot only affect the individuals and their families who re-ceive support from the state. In Northern Ireland it is es-timated that the changes to the benefits system willremove in the region of £500m a year from the economy.

It is a well-known fact that people on benefits spendvirtually all their income on basic necessities and theyspend it in local shops. The reduction in £500m spend-ing every year will damage the local economy. The hard-est hit won’t be the multi-national food or clothingstores, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the like. It will bethe locally-owned and run shops, pubs and small out-lets located on main roads and streets. The large corpo-rations will manage but the small business will suffer.

This takes us back to the bigger economic and politi-cal picture. Across Europe it is evident austerity isn’tworking. It certainly isn’t working for ordinary workingpeople. It isn’t working for young people with 50% youthunemployment in Greece and Spain, while levels ofyouth unemployment in Northern Ireland are distortedby emigration.

It is working, however, for those who are its champi-ons. Austerity is resulting in a consolidation of wealth inthe hands of the rich and the big corporations. It is re-sulting in more inequality, more poverty and morestress for ordinary people.

Whatever the pronouncements of Chancellors such asOsborne or the proclamations from outfits like Moody’s,the only alternative, in the interests of NIPSA members,their families and our communities, is to ditch austerityand utilise all the resources in our society to build aneconomy and public sector that serves the needs of allour society rather than the self-interest of the corpora-tions and their wealthy shareholders.

Brian Campfield,General Secretary

UK rating downgrade will be used as another excuse for cuts

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THE NI Welfare Reform Bill continues to makeits way through the legislative process.

Following pressure from NIPSA, ICTU and anumber of community and voluntary groups, anAd Hoc Committee on Conformity with EqualityRequirement was set up in November last year toconsider whether the provisions of the WelfareReform Bill are in line with equality requirementsand the observance of human rights.

NIPSA, through the ICTU and the EqualityCoalition, made a written submission to the AdHoc Committee.

The Committee’s findings were published onJanuary 22 and – unsurprisingly – there was asplit in how MLAs viewed the evidence presentedand voted mainly on party political lines.

In reaching its decision it stated: “The Commit-tee believed that its scrutiny had revealed a num-ber of areas of concern and accordingly it maderecommendations which it considers will pro-mote the continued monitoring of equality andhuman rights considerations in the on-going in-troduction of the Welfare Reform.

“The Committee, however, concluded that itcannot identify any specific breaches of equalityor human rights aspects of the Welfare Reform

Bill. This decision was reached by a majorityvote.”

NIPSA expressed disappointment at the out-come. The union pointed out that the 656-pagereport raised many concerns of experts who hadgiven evidence to the Committee.

Following the Ad Hoc Committee report the Billreturned to the Scrutiny Committee and its workfinished on February 19.

The next stage in the legislative process is forthe Bill to go back to the Assembly for considera-tion stages. NIPSA working along with ICTU andother groups are pressing MLAs not to pass theWelfare Reform Bill. This is because of the im-pact it will have on both in-work and out-of-workfamilies already struggling to make ends meet,with low or no pay increases, caps on benefit in-creases at 1% (which is below the rate of infla-tion) and the lack of jobs and the threat of a tripledip recession.

NIPSA would encourage all members to writeto their MLA encouraging them to oppose theWelfare Reform Bill.

A sample letter is available on the NIPSA web-site.

NI Welfare Reform continues itssteady process through Assembly

NIPSA has warned that the amendments to the Superannua-tion Bill on changes to the NICS Redundancy Compensa-tion Scheme – removing the need for Trade Union Sideagreement for any detrimental changes – would also re-move any incentive on the part of management to negotiatein any serious way. It is now clear that these concerns high-lighted by NIPSA have being realised.General Secretary Brian Campfield made the claim in letter,

dated January 21, to a senior official in Corporate HR PensionsDivision at the Department of Finance and Personnel.In a subsequent circular to officials, he added: “Management

now intend to introduce the terms of the scheme which have ap-plied to the Home Civil Service since December 2010.”The December 2010 legislation contained in the Superannua-

tion Act meant that the UK Government did not have to reachagreement with unions before worsening the redundancy com-pensation provisions..Management claims that it is seeking to standardise arrange-

ments to “ensure equality of treatment for all civil servants work-ing across the UK” and to “continue to adopt the approach takento date concerning pension provision for civil servants and in-deed the public sector schemes generally, of aligning theschemes in Northern Ireland with those in Great Britain.”Management have also claimed that alternative arrangements

proposed by the TUS for NICS would be “significantly better”than other public service schemes in Northern Ireland “which

have been aligned with their counterparts in GB some time ago”.Furthermore, management insist that negotiations and local

variations to the UK Civil Service Compensation Scheme couldonly be on margins or on minor elements.The changes if implemented will result in significant detriment

to staff who are being made redundant either or a voluntary orcompulsory basis. NIPSA had previously met with the AssemblyFinance and Personnel Committee to oppose the Superannua-tion Bill which gave effect to the removal of the need for tradeunion agreement on any detrimental changes.Brian Campfield stated:“ We warned the Assembly Committee

that if the legislation was adopted the incentive for the Manage-ment Side to enter into meaningful consultation and negotiationwould be removed. “This is exactly what has happened. A report on the progress

of these consultations will now have to be presented to the As-sembly Finance and Personnel Committee and we will be seek-ing a further opportunity to address the Committee so that wecan highlight our concerns and objections to the drastic reduc-tions in the redundancy compensation terms available to civilservants and staff in related NDPBs. “We also continue to press the Department of Finance and

Personnel to respond to the Trade Union Side proposals with arealistic alternative set of proposals.”n Vow to fight ‘pay more, work longer, receive less’ pension —See story page 3

The union’s Face-book page is nowlinked to theNIPSA website...please add yourlike. If you wish to pro-mote your branchor workplaceevents pleasesend the info to:[email protected]

THE Education Department’spermanent secretary has in-formed Trade Union Side thatthe Department has decidedthat when – or if? – ESA is setup procurement services forgoods and services will transferto the Central Procurement Di-rectorate (CPD) within DFP.Assistant Secretary Paddy

Mackel told NIPSA Reports: “This isa further example of the Depart-ment deciding policy, which has thepotential to impact on significantnumbers of staff, without due regardto normal consultation arrange-ments. “While it is the case that we do

not know the full impact of this an-nouncement the fact that there hasbeen no discussion whatsoever withTUS increases the anxiety experi-enced by members in this area ofwork. “On top of this the centralisation

of procurement of goods and serv-ices for Education Boards (or ESA)

as well as 1,200 schools is likely tohave a significant impact on the ca-pacity of local schools to reactquickly to purchasing requirements. “In addition, as many local small

businesses rely on these currentprocurement arrangements, therewill be a very real concern in localcommunities, particularly in ruralareas, that small businesses oflocal suppliers will go to the wall asCPD will undoubtedly move towardslarger, more cumbersome tendercontracts with longer delays forschools and others. “This has all the hallmarks of a

UK Treasury decision, being repli-cated by the Assembly withoutproper debate about the ramifica-tions on local communities of sucha significant change in practices.”Given the lack of consultation with

NIPSA to date, a meeting is beingsought with the Department to dis-cuss the full impact of any changesto be introduced if the decision can-not be reversed.

Procurement Servicesfor ESA to move to DFP

‘Fears realised’ over NICSCompo Scheme changes


LAND and Property Services (LPS) willcease to be an Executive Agency of the De-partment of Finance and Personnel fromApril 1.

Trade Union Side was told of the proposedchange before members of staff were notified.

LPS has been in operation for five years. It isunderstood a review of its workings concludedthere were no real advantages to its Agencystatus.

The core functions of LPS remain – the sameservices will be delivered but as a core busi-ness area within the Department rather than anAgency.

NIPSA Official Noel Griffin told NIPSA Re-ports: “This is purely an administrative but

nonetheless important change and there willbe no impact on the vast majority of memberswithin LPS.

“NIPSA have always opposed agentisationso we welcome the demise of yet another Ex-ecutive Agency.

“Indeed by becoming a core part of the De-partment, it removes the potential for delega-tion thereby protecting existing pay terms andconditions, grades etc.

“It will also remove the necessity to publishseparate Agency accounts and an Annual Re-port.

“All in all, a proposed change which is wel-comed by NIPSA and our members withinLPS.”

NEWS Page 3 NIPSA Reports www.nipsa.org.uk

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson failed toget legislative consent at Stormont

AS PREVIOUSLY reported in NIPSA Re-ports, DFP Minister Sammy Wilson hadaimed to apply the Westminster PublicService Pensions Bill to Northern Irelandthrough the legislative consent mecha-nism.However, Mr Wilson failed to get legislative

consent at a NI Executive meeting in late No-vember, meaning the Bill will now be processedthrough the Northern Ireland Assembly.The Public Service Pensions Bill has just pro-

gressed through the House of Lords and it willbe April before it passes its final House of Com-mons stage. One aspect of the Bill is that it provides the

legal umbrella framework for secondary legisla-tion in each of the public service pensionschemes. It covers retirement age and – apart from

some uniformed occupations – links it to the

state pension age and the associated increasesin that. It also covers the introduction of CARE (Ca-

reer Average Re-Evaluated Earnings) as op-posed to final salary, scheme governanceprovisions, cap and collar cost controls as wellas Treasury control over the mechanics of capand collar along with how the various schemestri-ennial evaluations are to be conducted.DFP officials are in talks with NIC-ICTU on

the arrangements for the Assembly Bill andNIPSA is playing the lead role in these negotia-tions. Assistant General Secretary Bumper Graham

told NIPSA Reports: “At the first meeting we setout our position very clearly, that we do not ac-cept the Westminster Bill or the DFP Minister’sposition. That we expect there to be full, openand real negotiations on all aspects of the Bill.”The next meeting has been arranged for early

March. The TUS will also be giving evidence to

the Assembly’s DFP Committee in late Febru-ary. The Committee will be pressed to look at the

wider economic disadvantages to Northern Ire-land of forcing people to work longer, includingthe adverse impact on youth/graduate unem-ployment, the loss of additional money to thelocal economy from the various adversechanges to public service pension schemes andthe need to ensure that the Treasury in Londondoes not have any control over Northern Irelandpublic service pension schemes.It is likely to be March or April before the Bill

can be introduced into the Assembly. At that point NIPSA will be asking members to

raise concerns over the issue with their MLAsand to apply pressure on them to have the Billamended rather than Mr Wilson’s approach –which is to bring in a mirror piece of legislationthat fully replicates the dangerous and flawedWestminster Bill.

Public service pensions –work starts on NI legislation

LGB&T Group7 February, 4.30pm at NIPSA, 54 Wellington Park, Belfast.

14 March, 4.30pm at NIPSA, 54 Wellington Park, Belfast.

18 April, 4.30pm at NIPSA, 54 Wellington Park, Belfast.

9 May, 4.30pm at NIPSA, 54 Wellington Park, Belfast.

All LGB&T Members and Non-LGB&T Members Welcome

Meetings February - May 2013

For more details contact: Email: lgb&[email protected] or Tel: 028 9068 6566

Meetings February - May 2013

elfast, B14 M

, Bark, 4.30pm ayy, 4.30pm aebruar7 F

oupLGB&T Gr

elfast

.elfast

elfast

elfast, B14 M

.elfast

.elfast

NIPSA vows to fight ‘paymore, work longer, receive less’ pension plan

Keep up to date and visit: http://www.nipsa.org.uk/Home

NIPSA Retired MembersGroup (Branch 798)

Retiring soon? Continue your

membership benefits! And keep in touch

Join us by contacting the RMGSecretary via Harkin HouseMeeting : 2pm on the 2nd

Wednesday, January, March,May, September & November

Membership fee £ 10 p/a

LPS returns to Department

NIPSA has stepped up its cam-paign against privatisation at theDepartment for Social Develop-ment.It follows what the union described

as the “disgraceful” decision by seniormanagement at the Department to pri-vatise soft services functions. The move means 150 messengers,

reprographic staff and receptionistswill see their jobs transferred to a pri-vate sector organisation from this Au-gust if management get their way.A source told NIPSA Reports:

“NIPSA is doing everything possible toprotect the interests of existing mem-bers and the union has expressedstrong opposition to the privatisationof public sector functions to the privatesector. “Apparently the private sector claim

that they can do the job cheaper, butthe reality is the only way they can dothis is by cutting terms and conditions,salaries and job security.” Support grades are already among

the lowest paid staff in the NorthernIreland Civil Service.The source added: “NIPSA has lob-

bied hard against the move and ar-gued strongly with management thatthe decision is wrong. We have alsoengaged in political activity to protestthis decision.”NIPSA has launched a special peti-

tion on the issue and has called onmembers to sign and return it to theunion so that a strong unified protestcan be made to management.

NIPSA has vowed to continue highlightingthe “flaws and factual inaccuracies” that liebehind the Government’s assault on pen-sions.It comes after the Department of Finance and

Personnel’s response to the recent consultationof proposals to increase employee rates fromthis April was issued.General Secretary described its conclusions

as “predictable” and pointed out that none of thecriticisms levelled at the changes put forward byunions, including NIPSA, had been addressed.In an update to members, he said: “The re-

sponse seeks to argue that the extra contribu-tions – effectively a pay cut – are about‘affordability’ and ‘fairness’. The assertion ismade that ‘there needs to be a fairer balancebetween what employees pay and what othertaxpayers contribute’. “There are selective and outdated quotes by

Lord Hutton used to suggest that the cost ofpublic service pensions is running out of controland becoming untenable. “No alternative means of raising the savings

the document talks about are even considered.Instead, the Department relies on the tier ofcontribution rates.”He warned that adjustment to these rates

would only result in “robbing Peter to pay Paul”because the DFP and, ultimately, HM Treasury,were “intent on recouping significant amounts ofmoney from civil servants”.Mr Campfield pointed out that NIPSA had re-

peatedly rejected arguments put forward byGovernment on pensions.The facts were straightforward, he added:

n Pensions are deferred pay.n Civil Service pensions are eminently afford-able and sustainable over the long terms.n Lord Hutton is on record as admitting thatscheme liabilities were already decreasing dueto pensions reforms.n Increased contributions mean, in reality, a paycut.n NIPSA and other trade unions have neveragreed to the imposition of the increased contri-butions.n The level of increased contributions and thetimescales involved were never recommendedby Hutton but are an imposition by Government.Mr Campfield continued: “The future offered to

civil servants and other public sector workers isone which takes no account of significant costsavings already generated by a wide range offactors, including pay freezes, the indexationswitch from RPI to CPI, job losses, removal ofthe default retirement age and (in 2007) the in-troduction of the NUVOS pension scheme.“The future offered can be summed up in six

words: pay more, work longer, receive less.He added: “NIPSA will continue to highlight

the flaws and factual inaccuracies underpinningthe Government assault on pensions and willcontinue to work with other unions to opposethis continued attack on members’ terms andconditions.”

NIPSA members in the PSNI will haveto wait longer than expected to hearwhether the Chief Constable’s moveto outsource 1,000 jobs is legal. The union lodged papers at the High

Court on October 1 last year seeking leavefor a Judicial Review of the decision toaward a £180m contract to Resource NI.Justice Treacy later granted leave to ap-

peal but the hearing has been delayedtwice. Assistant Secretary Ryan McKinney told

NIPSA Reports: “Originally we were chal-lenging Matt Baggott’s decision to out-source roles not specifically referred towithin the Police Act but we have nowadded an additional ground for review aswe don’t believe that the Chief Constablehad the authority of the Policing Boardwhen he awarded the contract on their be-half.”Highlighting the importance of the case

to staff in the PSNI, he added: “This is agroundbreaking challenge which, if suc-cessful, will protect the negotiating positionof NIPSA and therefore the terms and con-ditions of staff for years to come. “The case is also completely avoidable

and is only possible because the PSNI de-cided to favour more temporary fixesrather than to develop current staff and toinvest in new recruits.”The Judicial Review hearing is now set

for June 19 and is expected to last forthree days. NIPSA Reports will continue toupdate members in the run-up to the hear-ing.

NIPSA steps updrive against DSD privatisation

PSNI JudicialReview is delayed



THE government has "fi-nally woken up from itspost-election slumber",notes Caroline de la Sou-jeole, from investmentbank Seymour Pierce,"and is open for business… determined to findnew, efficient ways of de-livering services ratherthan cutting them". Huh. Who ever heard of a

government that could causethis much damage while stillasleep? But that is by nomeans the most wrong partof a short but entirely wrongstatement.By "open for business", the

analyst means the govern-ment is outsourcing publicservices – at a huge rate.The value of such contractshas risen from £9.6bn in2008 to £20.4bn in 2012.Seymour Pierce estimatesthat public sector outsourcingcould hit (deep breath)£101bn by 2014-15.You can see the existing

contracts wherever you look– helping unemployed peo-ple find jobs has been en-tirely privatised. It's known asthe "welfare market", a peer-less example of double-speak in which people's

welfare is ignored and mar-ket forces dominate. TheWork Programme doesn'twork at all on its own terms –though if, as I suspect, thetrue aim is to destroy thestanding and the self-esteemof the unemployed, it is work-ing quite well. That's worthbetween £3bn and £5bn overfive years. Atos has £3bnworth of contracts, also overfive years. The UK BorderAgency issued contractsworth £1.7bn, all to threecompanies and running forfive years. Probation serv-ices are outsourcing 60% oftheir work, valued at about£600m a year.This is all based on the

principle that the public sec-tor is inherently inefficient.Hand it over to private com-panies and they will swoop inwith their efficiency, theireconomies of scale, their in-centives and their competi-tiveness, winnowing it downinto a dart of perfectly tar-geted public spending.In practice, when they say

efficiency, that generallymeans lower wages. Whenthey say economies of scale,that generally means con-structing the contracts insuch a way as to leave only

the largest companies eligi-ble to bid for them. Whenthey say incentives, lookclosely and you will mainlysee perverse incentives. Andwhen they say competition,what you're actually left withis four or five – sometimesonly three – companies, whobarely compete with one an-other at all but instead oper-ate as an unelectedoligarchy.Most public services are

not about producing mi-crochips, they're abouthuman relationships – carework, parole, job-seeking,even assessing whether ornot a disabled person is re-ally disabled; they are aboutone human being spendingtime with another. The econ-omist Ha-Joon Chang's fa-mous example of the pitfall ofefficiency is that it mainlymeans making things faster– and yet if you played aminuet at three times thespeed, would that improve it?A much less romantic ex-

ample, but one that existsacross the country, is beinggiven a bath by a care-worker. Your local authorityhas signed a contract forcare work that's much lowerthan they were previously

paying in-house. Now yourbath has to be undertaken bysomeone who doesn't havetime to take her coat off. Youprobably don't know her, be-cause staff turnover aver-ages 30% in this sector.Whoever she is, she's proba-bly having to claim housingbenefit and in-work benefits,so the public purse is payingone way or another anyway.Who wins from all this humili-ation, the low-wage trap, andthe isolation? Who winswhen a waste managementcompany takes over a con-tract and bin men are simplypaid 25% less than the binmen three miles away? Theshareholder, the private eq-uity firm that bought out thewaste management outfitand sold it on: not you, notus.However, it is wrong to

suppose that outsourcingonly erodes wages at thebottom. It is a classless foe,and attacks people right upthe pay spine (except at thetop). According to HarryFletcher, of the National As-sociation of Probation Offi-cers, when Serco won theprobation services contract inLondon it did so by mas-sively underbidding the pub-

lic sector with a view to strip-ping out 100 of the 550 jobs.Not to worry, you might think– the others will be coveredby Tupe legislation that pro-tects employees when own-ership is transferred; pay,terms and conditions will beunaffected.But possibly not – when

Liberata won the educationmaintenance allowance andadult learning grant contractfrom a number of local au-thorities in 2007, scores ofpeople were transferred fromthe public sector. It turnedout their pensions weren't al-ways protected. Then thecompany "restructured", aprocess that trumps Tupe,and the "scheme leader" tierwas simply removed, whichmeant a pay cut for many ofthe most qualified staff.Then it turned out that Lib-

erata couldn't handle thecontract, but by this time itwas so large that the onlyother company capable oftaking it on was Capita.When the present govern-ment came in and cannedEMA, citing "unaffordability",the galling thing was that pri-vate sector bungling hadmade it quite expensive. Soa government scheme that

the data showed had a posi-tive effect on young people'slife-chances was trashed;skilled people were left un-employed; unskilled people,unemployable. And Capitaprobably walked away with awedge because the coalitionbroke the contract. "Proba-bly," I say, because thiscomes under the umbrella ofso-called commercial confi-dentiality, so we will probablynever know.What happens when these

firms, with their inexorableexpansionist logic, bite offmore than they can chew?We pay anyway. We paidG4S; we will pay it againwhen its prisons catch fire.We will pay A4e when it findsno jobs, we will pay Sercowhen its probation servicesfail. We will pay becauseeven when they're not deliv-ered by the public sector,these are still public services,and the ones that aren't toobig to fail are too important.What any government cre-ates with massive-scale out-sourcing is not "newefficiency", it is a shadowstate; we can't pin it downany more than we can vote itout. All we can do is watch.

THE UK Coalition Gov-ernment’s Welfare Bene-fits up-rating Bill waspassed by a majority inthe House of Commonson January 8, 2013.

This cynical piece oflegislation capped work-ing age benefits at 1%and was preceded by awave of divisive propa-ganda that sought to por-tray Government actingon behalf of the “strivers”as opposed to the“skivers”.

Such political barrelscrapping was summedup in the Daily Express’front page the day afterthe vote - “Party is overfor the Benefit Skivers”.

One strand of the Gov-ernment’s justification forthe benefits “cap” wasthat pay rises had neitherbeen linked to nor beenhigher than inflation,therefore it would be un-fair for those in receipt ofbenefit to receive morethan the 1% uprating.

This is certainly fromthe “brass neck” schoolof reasoning, with the

very authors of publicsector pay freezes andcuts (the Government)now pretending to be onthe side of their victims.

The actual figures in-volved also show hownonsensical this argu-ment is – attempting toset those on averageearnings (whose 1% payrise equates to £5.01 aweek) against an unem-ployed person who be-cause of this 1% cap willsee their JobSeekers Al-lowance rise by 71p.

Political commentatorOwen Jones summed upthe Coalition’s anti-socialapproach well when hecommented, “You havebeen mugged… therefore,your less deservingneighbour should bemugged too”.

As NIPSA has previ-ously highlighted, the ma-jority of those in receiptof what used to moreproperly be called socialsecurity (not welfare) arein work but are eligiblefor tax credits and otherbenefits due to low pay,

are medically unfit towork or are looking forwork in an economic en-vironment when the Gov-ernment’s own economicpolicies are worsening.

In addition, the compar-ison of wages and bene-fits is a strange point ofattack, given the failure ofsuccessive governmentsto link wages and bene-fits appropriately.

NIPSA Policy and Re-search John McVey toldNIPSA Reports: “The fallin unemployment benefitas a percentage of aver-age wages has been strik-ing. For example, in 1979unemployment benefitwas 21% of averagewages – today it is 11%.

“If, today, JobSeekersAllowance was 21% of av-erage earnings, it wouldbe £135 a week, not £71.Real ‘social security’ re-quires an appropriate linkbetween wages and bene-fits, not a low wage econ-omy subsidised byinadequate tax creditsand an increasingly puni-tive welfare framework.”

IT IS encouraging to see agrowing number of busi-nesses and local authori-ties adopting the livingwage and an article writtenby Jeremy Warner, assis-tant editor of the DailyTelegraph, is proof that themovement has reached farand wide.In his January article,

Warner considers the adverseeffects of low pay but, moreimportantly, identifies that paylevels are threatening to be-come more about PR than so-cial justice.For example, some of the

living wage’s most prominentprivate sector advocates(KPMG, Barclays, HSBC) areunlikely to have a significantnumber of low-paid staff whowould benefit from the policyand many cleaning and cater-ing jobs are still outsourced.Only when we see organisa-tions with large numbers oflow-paid staff implementingthe living wage will we knowthat the movement has trulyarrived.Warner also touches on a

problem highlighted by the

TUC last year: that an increas-ing proportion of companies’money is going to profits,rather than wages. And itseems that the shift fromwages to profits is hurtingthose at the bottom of the in-come scale much more thanthose at the top.We cannot ignore the fact

that some Goldman Sachsstaff (the subject of Warner’sarticle) are still set to receiveaverage bonus payments of£250,000. This reflects the findings of

last year’s Incomes Data Serv-ices Directors’ Pay Report,which showed that the aver-age wage rise for FTSE 100directors was 27 per cent in2011. With bank bonus sea-son nearly upon us, there are

undoubtedly more stories ofastronomical rewards in the fi-nancial sector to come.Meanwhile, at the other end

of the income scale, the ma-jority are feeling the effects ofreal-terms reductions in take-home pay (with 2012 seeingan increase in national aver-age earnings of just 1.6 percent on 2011). The conse-quent lack of demand doesnot bode well for the long termhealth of the economy and, asan increasing number of aca-demics and commentatorshave illustrated, it is in fact in-equality of income rather thanlow pay alone, that leads to somany of the economic and so-cial ills we associate withpoverty.It would be naïve, then, to

think that we can negate theeffects of income inequalitymerely by promoting policieslike the living wage while turn-ing a blind eye to runawayhigh pay. In order to tackle thenegative effects of income in-equality, the welcome enthusi-asm to promote the livingwage must be met with a will-ingness to tackle pay at thetop.

Outsourcing ofpublic serviceshas created a shadow stateThe winners are private equity and shareholders. The losers are the low-paid and the vulnerable. And in the end we all pay, writes Zoe Williams

Coalition’s Benefits Billreally scrapes the barrel

A living wage alone won'tstop runaway inequality

We need to tackleexcessive pay at the top



NIPSA has launched a campaign of opposition to pro-posals that will effectively abolish the Northern Ire-land Housing Executive.Social Development Minister Nelson McCauslandclaimed the current model was “simply not sustain-able” during his announcement of the plan on Janu-ary 9.But according to NIPSA, there is no evidence to support

this view. In his written statement, Mr McCausland claimed his pro-

posals were “agreed” by the Northern Ireland Executive onDecember 13, 2012 – but it is not clear exactly what was“agreed” other than some high level proposals. NIPSA pointed out if the NI Executive had agreed to pro-

ceed in the way suggested – i.e. abolition – why did Mr Mc-Causland in the closing paragraph of his statement indicatethat both he and his department would work with the SocialDevelopment Committee to develop proposals that wouldmaximise consensus and address any concerns held byother ministers. Deputy General Secretary Alison Millar said: “NIPSA’s pol-

icy is that the NIHE and the delivery of social housing shouldbe provided and funded by the public sector and by oneoverarching body. “It is clear that this is the most efficient way of providing all

of the functions and services currently provided by the NIHE. “Over the past 40 years there have been many reorganisa-

tions within the NIHE regarding the most effective and mostefficient way to deliver social housing in Northern Ireland. “If any reform is needed, NIPSA firmly believe this reform

should take place within the Housing Executive inside thepublic sector.”

Failure to investThe current crisis in housing has been brought about be-

cause of the failure of government to sufficiently invest in theprovision of social housing, particularly since 1995 when thepower to build new homes was removed from the NIHE. Because of this legacy of under-investment, it has been

claimed the only option remaining is to split the NIHE into astrategic body and a separate landlord function.This would mean that the landlord function would effec-

tively be placed outside the public sector (through semi orfull privatisation) and be able to borrow private finance. However, the union points out there are alternatives to this

strategy. The NIHE has the legal power to borrow but requires ap-

proval from the Department of Finance and Personnel andultimately HM Treasury to do so. The stumbling block appears to be that this would count

towards public sector borrowing and contribute to Govern-ment debt. The Housing Executive is not permitted by Government

policy to borrow funds. But the Housing Executive has thecollateral to borrow as it can service any such loans from its

rental income. The Executive also has a significant assetbase. On February 21, a NIPSA delegation met with the Social

Development Committee to discuss the issue. The delegation pressed the Committee to challenge the

Office of National Statistics and Westminster on how it clas-sifies borrowing and pointed out the current approach wasout of step with EU and international norms. A NIPSA spokesperson told NIPSA Reports: “The union

firmly believes that social housing should be provided out ofthe public purse. Housing need in Northern Ireland is tooimportant to be left to the private and voluntary sectors. “This proposal to effectively abolish the NIHE is the first

step in the State distancing itself from being responsible forsocial housing and this is unacceptable. It would reintroducethe Victorian philosophy that voluntary effort and charity isthe way to address social issues such as housing for thecommunity.”

Lobby callNIPSA has called on all political parties to campaign vigor-

ously and lobby the UK Government to allow the NIHE toborrow from the financial institutions in order to fund its pro-grammes. The union pointed out that local political parties had in-

vested a great deal of effort in trying to secure the devolutionof the power to set a separate Corporation Tax rate forNorthern Ireland. NIPSA called on them to make a similar effort to protect

the Housing Executive.A spokesperson said: “In short, NIPSA do not accept the

Minister’s view that there is really no choice other than tobreak up the Housing Executive.”NIPSA has started a campaign to highlight its alternative

which has garnered support from residents’/tenants’ associa-tions. local political representatives, tenants, academics andothers.

Housing AssociationsA number of commentators have suggested that Housing

Associations could deliver all the social housing in NorthernIreland. The growth of Housing Associations mainly came about

since 1995 when the Government withdrew the provision ofnew build from the NIHE. Effectively this was to allow private sector money to be

used for social housing. However, the public sector still provides a significant

amount of money in this model, administered by the NIHE,through a Housing Association Grant (HAG) which can be upto 45% of the new build funding. But Housing Associations are an expensive option. The

gap between the average rent of Housing Associations andthe Housing Executive continues to widen. The average

Housing Association rent is currently £81.69 a week with theaverage rent of a NIHE property just £52.76 a week. This is a significant difference particularly at a time of

changes to Housing Benefit and the so called “bedroom tax”.In addition to the increase in rent, tenants also face a hike inrates as they are based on the rent level. With increased rents and with a high percentage of ten-

ants on Housing Benefit this will lead to an increase of mil-lions of pound being paid out of the public purse in HousingBenefit payments.

Right to BuyThe introduction of the Right to Buy scheme has meant

that more than 120,000 properties that were previously avail-able for social housing have been removed from the housingstock. This money was not reinvested in public sector housing

which, in turn, has led to thousands of families being on thehousing waiting list, many in severe housing stress.Another important aspect is that the Housing Executive

has also sought to provide tenants with an “affordable rent”not an “economic rent”. Again this is wider question of eq-uity and ‘society’ and one that goes to the heart of the provi-sion of social housing. There has been speculation that the landlord function of

the Housing Executive would be split between a number ofHousing Associations. A NIPSA spokesperson added: “In our deliberations with

the Minister it was stated that it was unlikely that the currentHousing Associations operating in Northern Ireland wouldhave the capacity to deliver on behalf of 90,000 tenants. “Is it therefore the Minister’s intention to break up the NIHE

into significant smaller units which may address this capacityissue or is it the intention of the Minister to register other UKHousing Associations to allow them to operate in NorthernIreland?”About 2,800 staff work at the Northern Ireland Housing Ex-

ecutive. Under these proposals it is unclear what will hap-pen to these employees. Mr McCausland said in his January 17 statement to the

Committee that “they [his proposals] do not herald largescale job losses”. However, when NIPSA met with the Mr McCausland on

January 22, he refused to give a commitment that no staffwould be made redundant because of his proposals. “It is,therefore, very destabilising and creates further morale is-sues for the staff who are currently delivering the full rangeof services required by NIHE,” the spokesperson pointedout.NIPSA are engaging with a large number of groups as part

of its campaign to Save the NIHE. Part of that drive will takethe form of a letter-writing drive. NIPSA would encourage all members to check out the

NIHE Campaign part of the NIPSA website where they candownload a copy of a letter they can send to their local MLA

Union members join One Billion Risingviolence against women dance demoNIPSA members joined with activistsaround the world for ONE BILLIONRISING, the largest day of action in thehistory of V-Day, the global activistmovement to end violence againstwomen and girls on Thursday, Febru-ary 14.To mark the day, hundreds of women,

girls, and those who oppose violenceagainst them took to the streets of Belfastto dance together, with a programme ofevents supported by Women’s Aid Federa-tion Northern Ireland, Belfast Feminist Net-work, End Violence Against Women NI andNIPSA. The day kicked-off on the steps of Stor-

mont at 12:30pm with a dance flash mobhosted by Junior Minister Jennifer McCann,OFMDFM.Dancers and activists alike took back the

city of Belfast again at 7pm, with a danceflash mob at the gates of City Hall. Furthersecret flash mob events were plannedacross the province throughout the day andinto the weekend. All women, men, andchildren were welcome to join in the fun.You didn’t need to be a dancer to take part– participants simply wore something red,stood together, and enjoyed the spectacle!In the wake of the horrific rape and mur-

der of a young woman on a bus in the In-dian city of Delhi, people around the worldhave been desperate to find ways to stand

against violence against women and girls inall of its forms. On Valentine’s Day inBelfast it was time to show the women inyour life your love and respect, by standingup and saying NO to violence againstwomen and girls.

Violence Against Women in Northern Ireland

One in three women on the planet israped or beaten in her lifetime. That is onebillion daughters, mothers, grandmothers,sisters, lovers and friends. In Northern Ireland last year, 26,390 do-

mestic violence incidents were reported tothe PSNI – one every 21 minutes. Re-search shows that it takes an average of 35violent incidents before a woman will reportabuse to police. 553 rapes, including at-tempted rapes, were reported to police inNorthern Ireland last year, and that’s onlythe attacks that were reported. Rape and sexual offences are notoriously

under reported crimes, due to the intimatenature of the crimes, the relationship be-tween victim and perpetrator, and the fearthat victims won’t be believed or that report-ing won’t result in a conviction. This con-cern is not unjustified – last year, only18.1% of rapes reported were ‘cleared’ bypolice. 19% of all murders in Northern Ire-land last year were classed as having a do-mestic motivation.

According to Women’s Aid FederationNorthern Ireland, 831 women and 586 chil-dren stayed at Women’s Aid refuges acrossNorthern Ireland last year, and the 24 HourDomestic Violence Helpline answered atotal of 41,633 calls. A further 5,572 womenaccessed community-based outreach sup-port from Women’s Aid.Women and girls also continue to suffer

female genital mutilation (FGM), honour-based violence and human trafficking forthe purposes of sexual slavery, domesticservitude and forced labour, right on ourdoorstep.

If you have been affected by domestic orsexual violence, call the 24 Hour Domestic

Violence Helpline:0800 917 1414

Email [email protected] SUPPORT to 07797805839

Free phone from landline, call backs formobiles

Open to all women and men affected bydomestic or sexual violence

About One Billion RisingONE BILLION RISING began as a call to

action based on the staggering statistic that1 in 3 women on the planet will be beatenor raped during her lifetime. On February14th 2013, V-Day’s 15th anniversary, ac-tivists, writers, celebrities, women and men

across the world expressed outrage, de-manded change, danced, and rose in defi-ance of the injustices women suffer. V-Day is a global activist movement to

end violence against women and girls,founded by The Vagina Monologues play-wright Eve Ensler. In 2012, more than5,800 V-Day benefit events took place inthe U.S. and around the world, and the V-Day movement has raised more than $90million and educated millions about theissue of violence against women. Thosefunds have reopened shelters, and fundedover 14,000 community-based anti-violenceprograms and safe houses in DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, SouthDakota, Egypt and Iraq. V-Day has received numerous acknowl-

edgements including Worth Magazine's 100Best Charities, Marie Claire Magazine's TopTen Charities, one of the Top-Rated organi-zations on Philanthropedia/Guidestar andGreat Nonprofits. V-Day's newest campaignis ONE BILLION RISING culminated on14th February 2013 with a global actionworldwide. www.vday.org

To learn more about One Billion RisingBelfast, call Louise Kennedy on 07739348 347 or e-mail [email protected]. Like us on Facebook at One Billion Ris-ing Dance Flashmob Belfast and followus on Twitter @OBR_Belfast

The fight to save NIHE goes on


NORMAN Gray of NIPSA has scooped the 2012 Healthand Safety Representative Award for his “tireless” ef-forts on behalf of his fellow workers.Mr Gray, a health and safety rep for Branch 730 and Vice-

Chairperson of the unions Health and Safety Committee, re-ceived the award at an event in the UNISON offices inBelfast on January 25.The award is run by the Health and Safety Executive NI in

conjunction with the Northern Ireland Committee of the IrishCongress of Trade Unions (NIC/ICTU).In presenting the award, Barbara Martin, who chairs the

NIC/ICTU Health and Safety Committee, said: “The calibreof applicants was extremely impressive. Norman foughtagainst stiff competition and we are delighted this award hasgone to an extremely worthy winner."Norman is one of the many reps who work tirelessly to

protect his fellow workers and the public. It always makesme proud to hear the kinds of activities our safety reps getinvolved in. “He's worked hard at this and I'm very proud to present

him with this year’s award."

Real challengesIn accepting the award, Mr Gray said: “I believe this award

is for all health and safety reps across NIPSA for their con-tinued hard work and dedication to both protecting theirmembers and raising health and safety awareness in theirplaces of work. “While NIPSA is moving in the right direction regarding

health and safety, I believe that we face very real challengesahead with the de-regulation agenda, along with all the othercuts, being driven by this Westminster Government and whatlooks like a rubberstamp of approval by Stormont. “I believe that we have to raise awareness and raise our

game in showing the Stormont Executive that these cuts willaffect workers and will do nothing to relieve the burden onbusiness as the ConDem government would have everyonebelieve. “These cuts will allow employers to ignore obligations cur-

rently in place to protect employees from risk. In receivingthis award I hope it will encourage more members to take upthe role of health and safety rep within their branches. “I would also like to acknowledge the support I received

from Branch 730 committee members. Without their support

I don’t believe I could have received this award. Thank you.”Assistant Secretary Geraldine Alexander also spoke at the

event.She said: “I am delighted and honoured to extend NIPSA’s

congratulations to Norman on achieving this prestigiousaward. “NIPSA is exceptionally proud of Norman and this is a fit-

ting tribute and recognition for all his hard work in advancing

the health and safety agenda in the workplace and ensuringworkplaces are safer and healthier.“Norman has worked tirelessly on behalf of not only NIPSA

members but all workers, patients and visitors within BelfastCity Hospital to ensure their lives are not put at risk. “His enthusiasm and dedication to health and safety is an

inspiration to us all. So on behalf of NIPSA and all workers,thank you Norman and well done.”

NIPSA Retired MembersGroup (Branch 798)held a special silver ju-bilee AGM on January23. In its 25 years, the group

has grown from its original15 members in 1988 tomore than three hundredtoday.And to celebrate this

landmark occasion theRMG held the event at thePark Inn in Belfast city cen-tre and delegates fromacross Northern Irelandbraved the bad weather toattend. General Secretary Brian

Campfield and AssistantGeneral Secretary KieranBannon along with unionPresident Padraig Mulhol-land and NIPSA YouthChair Ryan Wilson werespecial guests at the event.Opening the AGM, Mr

Mulholland praised the ef-forts of those activists whohad battled to see theRMG take shape. General Secretary Brian

Campfield, in his address,applauded the work of the

group, acknowledging thedevelopment of closer linkswithin the NIPSA familyand wished it well for thefuture. Mr Bannon spoke on out-

standing equal pay issueswhile Mr Wilson talkedabout the forging of futurelinks with the group. In introducing the pres-

entation of a special com-memorative plaque, theChairperson outlined thehistory of the RMG andspoke about its work andgrowth over 25 years.Mr Mulholland as Presi-

dent was then invited topresent the plaque andbouquets of flowers toJean Fleming and SheilaDodds – the two remain-ing active members of theoriginal group. They spoke briefly of

their recollections of thecreation and developmentof the RMG, thanked thegroup and wished its mem-bers future success. It is hoped that the silver

jubilee plaque will be dis-played in the CouncilChamber at Harkin House.


NIPSA health and safetyrep scoops top award

Margaret Dooley (Branch 733), Aidan McDonnell (NIPSA HQ), Jeanette McDaid (Branch 113), George Lucas (Chairman of HSENI),Norman Gray (Branch 730) award winner, Geraldine Alexander (NIPSA Asst Secretary), Philip Hull (Branch 511), Fergal McCann(PBNI) and John Calvert (AFBI).

Picture by Kevin Cooper

At the podium addressing the NIPSA Retired Members Group silver jubilee AGM is chair Tony Cluskey. Smiling for the camera is President of NIPSA Patrick Mulholland who presented bouquets of flowers and a plaque to Jean Flwming and Sheila Dodds, the two remaining founder members of the group.

Union’s RetiredMembers Groupcelebrates its silver jubilee


MORE than 50 NIPSA membersand officials crammed into ameeting-room in Belfast on Feb-ruary 7 to hear how Northern Ire-land is playing its part in trying tofoster a fledgling peace processin Colombia.General Secretary Brian Camp-

field and NIPSA President PatrickMulholland welcomed MarielaKohon, the Director for the Justicefor Colombia campaign, to speak tothe gathering at the NIPSA offices inWellington Park.Justice for Colombia (JFC) is a

British NGO that campaigns forhuman rights, workers’ rights and

the search for peace with social jus-tice.Addressing the meeting, Mr Mul-

holland said: “No-one can remainneutral on the issue of Colombia.The continuing exploitation of itspeople is well documented and un-fortunately for many trade unioniststhat have and are continuing to losetheir lives in fighting for social jus-tice by state and paramilitary forces,their voices must be heard beyondthe country’s borders.“The civil strife and war are being

used by the regime and its support-ers to target trade unionists who arecampaigning on behalf of the op-

pressed as ‘terrorists’. “These activists and their families

have become easy targets for thedeath squads.”Mr Mulholland explained the Gen-

eral Secretary Brian Campfield hadrecently taken part in a fact-findingmission to the strife-torn country –made up of Northern Ireland tradeunion officials and a cross-party

team of MLAs.Mr Campfield gave a short ad-

dress and showed a series of slidesfrom the visit.He said the trip was to demon-

strate to the Colombian governmenthow former adversaries in NorthernIreland could come together andwork out a peace process aftermany years of conflict.“This certainly had a resonance

among some of the political leaderswe met,” he added.Ms Kohon gave a rundown of the

history of the Colombian conflict, in-cluding harrowing accounts of howmany social justice campaignershad paid the ultimate price for theiractivism.The union has agreed to help pro-

mote the JFC campaign with theaim of bringing a delegation ofColombian trade unionists to North-ern Ireland on a speaking tour.

NIPSA has urged members tosupport Fairtrade Fortnightwhich runs from February 25 toMarch 10.This year’s theme is ‘Go Further

for Smallholder Farmers in 2013’.Why do smallholder farmers need

support? Because trade is not work-ing for the world’s poorest. Millions of people in developing

countries depend on farming. Butthey are trapped in poverty by therules of world trade, keeping thoseat the start of supply chains power-less to earn enough to cover theircosts and with nothing to save fortheir families.Choosing Fairtrade offers farmers

and workers a better chance to work

their way out of poverty, through fairwages, safer conditions at work anda little extra – called the FairtradePremium – to invest in projects toimprove life for their whole commu-nities.NIPSA Assistant Secretary Geral-

dine Alexander told NIPSA Reports:“There is a lot of support all over

the world for Fairtrade, people intheir everyday lives doing what theycan to put fairness first, at home, atschool, or in their work life.“There are lots of ways for mem-

bers to get involved. One way is tosign the petition on the FairtradeFoundation website (http://step.fair-

trade.org.uk) to tell David Cameronto go further and champion a betterdeal for the world’s smallholderfarmers at this year’s G8 meeting.” Other ways that members could

become involved could include:n Inviting a friend out for a Fairtradecoffee;n Organising a Fairtrade chocolatetasting at work;n Telling your friends on Facebookabout your favourite Fairtrade prod-uct;n Buying Fairtrade tea/coffee whenit’s your turn at work;n Asking your local shop to stockmore Fairtrade choices.

Ms Alexander added: “We arechecking if there are local eventsbeing organised during FairtradeFortnight and will publish these onthe NIPSA website.“Alternatively you can visit the

Fairtrade Foundation’s website tofind out about local events being or-ganised in your area.“Fairtrade Fortnight provides a

focus for people to think about thesimple things that can be done tomake a real difference to the lives ofpeople in developing countries,such as buying Fairtrade products. “By doing so you will have played

a vital role in alleviating poverty andsupporting marginalised producersin a manner that promotes dignityand self-sufficiency.”


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Across1 Comfortable yet thorny position? (3 2 5)7 Call out the name of lad wanted to run errands(4)9 Relate to woolly bear (8)10 Quote me about a cause of being sick? (6)11 Pater's cooked a meal (6)13 Support Leeds and apt to be embarrassed (8)14 Little scrawl displayed by outlaw (4 8)17 Sadly Rebecca lost a novelty event (8 4)20 Swift’s small folk penned in here? (8)21 Acidic substance - pH1- sent back to head oflab (6)22 Indian spiritual leader's consecutive letters? (6)23 Leave by following career (3 5)25 Kelly returns with some unknown refuse (4)26 Cashier, say, displayed items of furniture (4 6)

Down2 Leader of experts goes to drunk man in private(8)3 Love of French poem (3)4 Pan for Sunday lunch? (5)5 Rip Van Winkle's earring? (7)6 Dispatch spring plant (9)7 Digs pear tree up with Sid (5-1-5)8 Instrument I found in boat returning on a run (6)12 A concoction of salads you'll create on November 2nd? (3 5 3)15 Ready to win? (4 5)16 Glass ship (8)18 Tears out after a new star (7)19 Foolish talk about one robber (6)21 Grass can make you experience extreme fear (5)24 Rest sideways - finally dropping off in meadow (3)

Brainteaser... Prize crossword by Casper

£50 prize on offer for cryptic crossword winner. Five runners-up will receive £10. All entries withnames and addresses attached to be sent to Editor NIPSA Reports, Harkin House, 54 WellingtonPark, Belfast BT9 6DP with name, Branch no and address clearly attached.

£50 TO BE WON

Winner of the January NIPSA Reports crossword £50 prize is: Dolores Kerr (Branch 60),Belfast. Runners-up: Margaret McAleer (Branch 303), Omagh; Muriel Callighan, Belfast;Mary B Proctor (Branch 509), Limavady; Kieran Girvan (Branch 35), Moy; and AndyBailie (Branch 60), Belfast.

Previous crossword answers: Across: 1 Tail-coat, 5 Broach, 9 Imposter,10 Smears, 12 Belt up, 13 Pinafore, 15 Gender bender, 18 Test-tube baby,23 Tortilla, 24 Koalas, 26 Ornate, 27 Beriberi, 28 Sashes, 29 Prospect. Down: 1 Trilby, 2 Impale, 3 Costume, 4 Abet, 6 Rampage, 7 Anaconda, 8Hostelry, 11 Disrobe, 14 Oddball, 16 Stetsons, 17 G-strings, 19 Thistle, 20Booties, 21 Fleece, 22 T-shirt, 25 Wear.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulderwith Colombian trade unionistsNIPSA members hear how NorthernIreland is playing its part in peaceprocess in South American state

ArtsEkta and Arts for Allare looking for NIPSAmembers to take part ina project during whichparticipants will create atextile panel telling thestories of the port anddocks of Belfast and thecommunities around theLough.

Those wishing to takepart should have sewing,embroidery or otherneedlework skills, enjoymeeting new people andinteresting conversations.

They should also havesome interest in thesocial and maritimehistory of Belfast –particularly in relation tothe port and docks.

During the project –which will run betweenFebruary and July 2013 –participants will work withfive artists to create ahigh quality textile paneldepicting the richheritage and working lifeof Belfast’s port and thedocks between 1863 and2013.

The project will includewalking tours, visits totapestries in Dublin andWexford, communityrelations and textile artworkshops and talks onthe history of Belfast’sdocks and portcommunities.

The textile panel will beexhibited at Belfast Mela,Arts for All Gallery, theBelfast HarbourCommissioner’s Officeand will tour Dublin,Birmingham and London.

To talk about the projectfurther and/or register aninterest in taking part,please contact NiamhFlanagan (ArtsEkta) at028 90 231381 or HeatherFloyd (Arts for All) at 02890 752134.

Docks textile project callsfor NIPSA volunteers

NIPSA backs Fairtrade Fortnight

Shared servicesfears for FE colleges

THE Department of Employmentand Learning has imposed re-quirements on FE colleges toconsider a number of work areasfor potential “shared services”.

Just as in education, procure-ment services is the first areabeing worked up for majorchanges.

Voicing his grave concern, As-sistant Secretary Paddy Mackel

told NIPSA Reports: “Thisagenda is being driven through,primarily by the Departmentwhich could lead to significantupheaval for members.

“Members could face centrali-sation of services or transfer oftheir work to Central Procure-ment Directorate (CPD) in DFP or– worse still – privatisation oroutsourcing of these services.

“Given that Minister Farry hasconsistently refused to rule outprivatisation or outsourcing, ourmembers are right to be worriedabout what the future holds forthem.

“NIPSA will do everything pos-sible to ensure that our membersare protected, regardless of whatdecision is taken by the employ-ers.”

Director of JFC Mariela Kohon speaking to NIPSA members



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Surname: .........................................................Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Dr: .........................................Forenames: .....................................................Home Address: (Postcode must be included):....................................................................................................................................................Postcode: .........................................................Office Address: ..........................................................................................................................Postcode: .........................................................Branch No: ........................................................National Insurance No: ....................................Membership No: ..............................................Full Payroll No: ................................................I work: Full time o Job share o

Part time o Term time oWhich address is to be used for correspondence and NIPSA Voting papers?Home o Office oOffice tel. no and ex: ..................................................................................................................Home no:..........................................................Mobile no: ........................................................ E-mail: .............................................................Date of birth: ....................................................Grade: .............................................................

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Membership Details

IT WAS with great sadness that the committeeand members of NIPSA Branch 73 learned of thedeath of our esteemed colleague and friendTommy Semple on December 12, 2012.Tommy worked in Civil Service Pensions in Wa-terside House for 20 years and was a member ofthe local NIPSA committee for most, if not all, ofthose years. In recent years, however, he be-came Chairperson and under his leadership, thecommittee became a more proactive and dy-namic body in its dealings with both membersand management. Possessed of a keen intellect and a resolute be-lief in protecting the rights of NIPSA members inBranch 73, he was a formidable force in hisdealings with management.Tommy was a firm believer in fair and propertreatment for all members in Civil Service Pen-sions and never wavered in his commitment tothose beliefs, no matter what was asked of him. He was not given to angry words or a raisedvoice but spoke with a quiet determination andconfidence that never left those with whom hewas dealing in any doubt about where he stood. Tommy, through his actions, had the respect ofCSP management and of NIPSA staff at depart-mental and HQ level. For the members and committee of Branch 73he was an inspiration although, modest as hewas, he would have been embarrassed at thevery thought.His loss to Branch 73 as a colleague and as afriend is immense and moving forward as we

must, we owe it to Tommy’s legacy to continueto represent the members of Branch 73 by fol-lowing his example and espousing his values.The General Secretary, officials and staff ofNIPSA Headquarters wish to extend their sin-cere condolences to Tommy’s son, his mother,family members and all his colleagues in NIPSABranch 73.May he rest in peace.

Tommy Semple obituary

A resolute defender of the rights of NIPSA members

MEMBERS should have received their 2013 MembershipPlus card – opening a gateway to more than 1,300 greatdiscounts – in the December 2012 issue of NIPSA Re-ports.

And just under 7,500 NIPSA members had either signedup for the first time or had updated their Membership Plusregistrations by the end of January.

A union source told NIPSA Reports: “While an encourag-ing start and a considerable increase over 2012, many thou-sands of NIPSA members are losing out not just on greatdiscounts but also on new offers, time-limited opportuni-ties, special one-off event-related offers (such as Valen-tine’s Day) and also competitions.

The easiest way to register is to go to the updated NIPSAwebsite – www.nipsa.org.uk – and hit the Membership Plusbutton on the home page, which will take members directlyto the Membership Plus site.

A competition ran through January for those memberswho registered or updated their registration. The prize waswon by Stephen Fleming.

Any queries over non-receipt of Membership Plus cardsshould be raised with Mairéad Donnelly, Executive Officer(Membership Services), at NIPSA Headquarters.

Register yourMembership Plus card today


Documents

NIPSA Reports February 2013