Direction Of Six County Executive A Real Cause For Concern
The Six County executive has unanimously endorsed plans to implement Private Finance Initiatives in their departments and in the process sell-off dozens of public buildings.
Under the Workplace 2010 Scheme, 77 civil service buildings will be transferred to private ownership and jobs associated with the buildings will also pass to the private sector.
A neo-liberal, business-centred agenda appears to be gathering steam in the Stormont institutions with the granting of ‘preferred project’ status for a DUP member’s property development company in relation to the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site and the consideration of plans for a property development group to anchor and profit from public transport policy providing two more striking examples.
Not a single voice from within the executive has raised any objection to the latest move.
Éirígí spokesperson Daithí Mac An Mháistír was highly critical of the plan.
“The pro-market agenda of the Six County executive has yet again been demonstrated by this unanimous decision on endorsing PFI.
“PFI is simply a flawed method of cutting costs and corners in public services. It hands huge profits to the private sector, disadvantages workers and eventually costs the taxpayer more for the privilege of using what they once owned.
“The stance of the trade unions in opposing these plans is to be commended and hopefully a broad movement against privatisation can be built in the near future.
“This plan for PFI, along with other decisions coming from the Six County executive, demonstrates further how that body is failing working people. Continually supporting plans that benefit developers and the private sector while ignoring issues of disadvantage, social injustice and inequality demonstrates that a new society cannot and will not emerge from an institution based upon a limited form of home rule and a permanent coalition.”