Community workers protest against cuts

UP TO 1,000 community workers and employers marched on the Department of Finance yesterday in protest at what Siptu says are “hundreds of millions” in cuts to the community sector.

The march followed a protest meeting in Liberty Hall which heard that many community organisations were at risk of closure in coming months due to the severity of budget cuts.

Projects worst affected include the National Drugs Strategy, which has had a 17 per cent cut in funding for projects; Community Employment training with a budget cut of 40 per cent; the National Women’s Strategy cut by €9 million; and the end of capital funding for childcare facilities.

Impact branch secretary Una O’Connor said the sector had been denied the necessary funding during the boom years.

“We were always seen by the Government as a way of delivering public services on the cheap.”

The understandable decline in charitable donations coupled with the “savage” budget cuts meant the future of many essential service providers was now in doubt, she said.

Communities that depend on community drugs, housing, employment, childcare and rape crisis services faced a “silent catastrophe” as organisations struggled to survive.

Siptu community branch president David Connolly said the cuts were short-sighted given the importance of local services in helping people to retrain and access employment and in responding to the increased social problems arising from the recession.