People Before Profit Vote Against Staffless Libraries

national | worker & community struggles and protests | press release Saturday November 19, 2016 23:38 by pbp - People Before Profit

The government want to sack librarians and introduce staffless libraries. Many people depend on the assistance that a librarian provides. This is all part of the government’s overall austerity drive- we lose out on services, workers get a bad deal meanwhile Apple gets away with €13 Billion in unpaid tax.

The staff of public libraries across the country are currently being balloted for industrial action by their trade union IMPACT such is the fear and concern that the ‘Open Libraries’ Initiative will be forced upon them, leading to sacking of workers, the undermining of job security and endangering the terms and conditions of employment of workers who remain.

If the strike goes ahead People Before Profit will offer our full support and the support of our elected representatives in councils and in the Dáil to aid the strike.

The People Before Profit motion, by Councillor John Lyons, was intended to lay down a marker to Dublin City Council Chief Executive, Owen Keegan, also a board member of the LGMA, that a policy which will ultimately lead to staffless libraries is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Text of Motion:

“This committee recognises the invaluable contribution public libraries and their staff have made to the educational and social life of communities across the city of Dublin and the country over many decades, is strongly opposed to the Open Libraries initiative and will support any moves by library staff and their trade union Impact to resist the introduction of staff less libraries in Dublin City.”