ABOUT 1,000 people took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday morning to register their opposition to austerity measures brought in by British prime minister David Cameron’s coalition government.
The rally, which was organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), coincided with parallel protests in London and Glasgow to protest the cuts. Civil servants, teachers and nurses were the best-represented groups among those in Belfast.
The turnout was, however, lower than predicted, despite the mild and sunny weather. Demonstrations in Britain attracted much bigger crowds, with 150,000 in London and 5,000 in Glasgow.
Ictu represents more than 250,000 people in 36 trade unions across the North.
The Northern Ireland Assembly recently passed the Welfare Reform Bill, which will mean major cuts to benefits as part of Westminster’s austerity package.
Addressing the rally, Pamela Dooley, chairwoman of the Northern committee of Ictu, said it was appropriate that Halloween was approaching as “the nightmare is unfolding in a very public fashion”.
“It is clear that since the Good Friday agreement a massive section of our society is being driven deeper into poverty and the government response is to attack their vital public services,” she said.
Ictu assistant general secretary Peter Bunting said Stormont should not blindly follow suit when Westminster initiated austerity measures. “The devolved administrations must build a robust joint defence of the people who elected them,” he said.
“Let this rally today send a message to our MLAs and our MPs from all political parties that we are firmly opposed to the failed policy of austerity.”
Lucy O’Hagan (35), a worker in children’s services for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust in Belfast, said she had joined the march as “things are just getting worse”.
“I’m a single mother; I work full time. My pay was frozen two years ago and my child tax credits have been cut. My employers are talking about bringing in parking charges,” she said.
“My mum and dad, who are both pensioners, buy me extra bags of coal and food shopping. It should be the other way around.”
Queen’s University Belfast politics lecturer and Green Party councillor John Barry (45) said he was marching to “show solidarity with the people these cuts are really going to affect badly – the domestics in the NHS, the care workers”.