Spanish unemployed demand 'Respect' !

Today "Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants" paid tribute to all those who marched in Madrid in their thousands, against unemployment & victimisation of benefit claimants . We stand shoulder to shoulder in unity with everyone of you - Respect !

Tens of thousands of Spaniards joined protests against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey's government this weekend (22nd July) in protest over its handling of an economic crisis that has plunged 25 per cent of the country into unemployment.

Hundreds of unemployed young Spaniards had walked hundreds of miles to meet in Madrid to show their rejection of the politics of austerity.

They journeyed on foot from the southern region of Andalucia, which has one of the worst unemployment rates in Spain, from northern Catalonia and other areas in an attempt to highlight the plight of the unemployed in recession-hit Spain.

Demonstrations have become almost constant across Spain since the government announced €65 billion (£50.6bn) in new spending cuts two weeks ago.

After demonstrating outside the Ministry for Employment earlier in the day, protesters banging drums, blowing vuvuzelas and chanting "unemployed, wake up" marched towards Puerta del Sol, the central square that has seen hundreds of thousands demonstrate against government austerity.

They were joined by members of the Los "Indignados" - 15-M Movement, which has organised sit-ins at the square for more than a year.

Many bore banners railing against the markets squeezing Spain's finances, with slogans such as "Debt is modern-day slavery" or "Unemployed against the risk premium."

The government is trying to avert a full-scale bailout after going cap in hand to Eurozone leaders to borrow up to €100bn (£77.8bn) to throw at its failing banks.

But even that borrowing failed to appease the vulture markets.

The interest rate demanded by speculators rose at the weekend to a euro-era record of 7.2 per cent in reaction to the country's continued recession and the debts of its regions.

Far from being hailed as a life-saver, the €65bn of spending cuts and tax rises pushed through by the Rajoy administration to meet deficit targets set by Brussels are widely blamed in Spain for pushing the economy back into recession for yet another year.

One of the government's most controversial cuts will affect unemployment benefits, which are set to be reduced for those who have just become unemployed. Hundreds of thousands of angry Spaniards protested in 80 cities across Spain on (Thursday 19th July) against the government's latest austerity measures.

Protesters flooded Madrid's Puerta del Sol square and the streets in front of parliament long into the night, facing riot police at barricades. Police fired rubber bullets and charged protesters in central Madrid. Large crowds also gathered in Barcelona and Bilbao. El Pais estimated that more than 100,000 had attended the rally in the capital alone.


Ccoo Andalucia CCOO Cádiz CCOO Joves Ccoo Pv EAPN - European Anti Poverty Network The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed

Britain's Unemployment Count - Deception !

The UK government is using 'perception to deceive the British Electorate' with regard to Britain's unemployment count, that 'perception is nothing but deception'. The media & government bodies are all working together to deceive us, regarding our economic decline.

According to the Office for National Statistics the number of people out of work fell by 65,000 to 2.58 million in the three months to May. The London 2012 Olympics is no doubt providing a boost to employment, but many benefit claimants are being forced off benefits onto the 'Work Programme' with the deceptive promise of a job at the end of the games - this was exposed in the organising of the Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 2012.

Those forced onto schemes like the 'Work Programme' (Workfare) are not employed, they don't receive a wage but receive 'dole money for work' - those people are not categorised as unemployed.

FACT: the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance rose by 6,100 to 1.6 million in June. It's very easy to remove claimants from the official statistics when they are re-classified - i.e working for free on the 'Work Programme' (workfare) harassed onto other so-called voluntary schemes or suspended from benefit on trumped up charges.

FACT: The number of long-term unemployed increased, with those out of work for more than two years rising by 18,000 to a total of 441,000, the highest since 1990's. Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds is well over the million mark.

Teenagers are being conned onto the 'Work Programme' and so-called 'Youth Contract', with a promise of a job at the end. The reality is many are being exploited for cheap labour for greedy capitalist companies seeking to maximize profits. 

Video: Employment Minister Chris Grayling interview on WORKFARE !

FACT: Unemployment in Wales has risen in the last quarter, a total of 2,000 extra people are out of work, taking the total number in Wales up to 133,000. The Welsh unemployment rate stands at 9%, compared to the UK average of 8.1%.

FACT: Northern Ireland's unemployment rate has risen yet again, even though record levels of benefit claimants are being forced onto the 'Work Programme' to artificially massage the unemployment count!

Unemployment count down in the UK ? That Perception is Deception !

Meanwhile, Scotland has followed the UK into a double-dip recession, according to the latest official figures. Scottish Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 0.1% during the first three months of 2012.

Output in construction fell sharply by 6.9% while the production sector grew by 1.2% and services by 0.2%. Recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of the economy contracting.

The UK economy officially returned to recession in April, when its GDP figures for the first quarter of 2012 showed a further contraction of 0.2%.

Scotland saw an increase in the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance last month but the total number of jobless - including those ineligible for benefits - fell, official statistics showed today.

The Office for National Statistics said the claimant count went up by 1,300 to 144,100 in June while the number of jobless fell by 4,000 to 215,000 between March and May.

The Scottish unemployment rate now stands at 8 per cent, which is just below the average of 8.1 per cent for the whole of Britain.

Youth unemployment in Scotland stands at 20.8 per cent.

Capitalist countries within Europe are failing its 500 million citizens on a grand scale. Unemployment has reached alarming levels, the economic crisis has left 25 million EU citizens out of work - a number that is greater than the populations of most countries in the union.

Record unemployment in the 17 countries that use the euro is a clear sign if one was needed that, the policy of austerity has failed the people. Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants demand a policy of job creation be made a priority, we desperately need a pro-growth strategy to stop countries going deeper into recession.

Unemployment across the 17-member eurozone rose by 169,000 in March, taking the rate up to 10.9 percent in March — its highest level since the euro was launched in 1999.

Europe's disaster is the start of a long-term decline, in Spain the unemployment rate stands 21.3%, the country's has highest unemployment within the EU. In the EU as a whole, one in five young people are looking for work.

Privatisation is the agenda of our Con-Dem government', the disastrous austerity policies follow the same EU guidelines has pushed Britain into a new recession with levels of unemployment not seen for decades.

A right wing Tory led coalition government in power with an ideology that is based on "Deception" !  

Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants

copy to:  The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, Trades Union Congress (TUC), GMB union, Unite the Union, Scottish Unemployed Workers' Network .

Worldwide Eradication of Poverty !

 The United Nations Foundation - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - 17 October - has been observed each year since 1993. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide.  

The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to October 17, 1987. On that date, more than 100,000 people gathered in Paris, France, to honor the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. Since that moment, individuals and organisations worldwide observed October 17 as a day to renew their commitment in collaborating towards eradicating poverty.

In December, 1992, the UN General Assembly officially declared October 17 as the date for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

October 17th presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognise that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty.

Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants - welcomes the initiative to hold governments to account. Poverty is a leading factor to increased vulnerability and social exclusion.

In today’s context when governments are introducing drastic budgetary austerity measures, it is indispensable to assess their impact on the daily lives of millions of benefit claimants, disabled & older people, in particular the most vulnerable groups such as older women, people living on minimum old-age income, very old persons living alone or in rural areas, who are particularly affected by the cuts in the benefits they used to receive such as long-term care, subsidised transport, housing and winter fuel payments, etc.

The International Day Against Poverty, is an opportunity to remind governments of their duty to protect ALL citizens, those most vulnerable are being persecuted & at best ignored.

We the people demand respect & dignity !

IRISH Long-term unemployment now 51.5%

Lost generation !

A very striking feature of the Quarterly National Household Survey release from the (IRISH REPUBLIC) Central Statistics Office is the dramatic increase in the long-term unemployment figure.

DUBLIN — Ireland’s unemployment rate rose to an 18-year high of 14.9 percent in June, underscoring the country’s struggle to stimulate economic growth in the face of austerity measures.

It is the late 1990s since long-term unemployment accounted for more than half of the overall unemployment figure. In the fourth quarter of 2010 there were 153,900 people long-term unemployed, A figure that is five times greater than the number of people long-term unemployed at the end of 2007.

The other striking feature is the dramatic increase in the unemployment figure which increased by 30,700 people and brought Ireland's unemployment rate to an 18-year high of 14.9 percent in June.

This increase is particularly worrying as it indicates the strength of the underlying increase in unemployment which has negative implications for the further increase in long-term unemployment.

To address these issues, campaigners will be looking to the incoming IRISH Government to live up to their promises on jobs within their first 100 days in office. And though welcoming the new Government's commitment to job creation Many will be concerned at the lack of an integrated jobs strategy and the lack of a Minister of State who would liaise between the Departments of Social Protection; Education and Skills; Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation. For the proposed new National Employment and Entitlements Service to provide a good service to unemployed people it is vital that there is excellent co-ordination between the three Government Departments.

Questions for the IRISH Government:

1. What will you do to tackle unemployment?
2. Will you reverse the cuts made to Jobseekers Allowance and Benefit?
3. How will you improve services to unemployed people?
4. What will you do to create decent jobs?

Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants

Nearly Eighteen Million unemployed in the Eurozone - capitalism in crisis !

* Unemployment in the Eurozone:

Official figures showed this week that unemployment in the eurozone hit another record in May.

EU statistics office Eurostat said unemployment rose to 11.1 per cent in May from 11 per cent the previous month. That’s the highest rate since the euro was launched in 1999.

In total, 17.6 million people were out of work in the eurozone in May, 1.8 million higher than a year earlier.

Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants

The labour markets of countries on the front line of the debt crisis, such as Greece and Spain, are suffering in the wake of stringent austerity measures and a resulting recession.

The highest unemployment rate across the eurozone was recorded in Spain, where 24.6 per cent of people were out of work, including 52.1 per cent of the country’s youth. Across the wider 27-country European Union, unemployment edged up to 10.3 per cent in May from 10.2 per cent the month before.

* Irish republic unemployment hits a 18 year high - media ignores :

It is extraordinary that the majority of Irish newspapers chose to largely ignore the startling fact that unemployment rose to an 18-year high when government CSO figures were published on the (4th July).

Even some British newspapers were ahead of their Irish counterparts in highlighting how the unemployment rate touching 15% reflected the stark failure of government to grow the economy.

As Associated Press reported, the figures illustrated “the country's struggle to stimulate economic growth in the face of austerity measures.”

“The rising joblessness could have been worse but for Ireland's tradition of mass emigration in times of economic hardship. The Central Statistics Office says about 76,000 left this country of 4.5 million last year for stronger job markets in other English-speaking countries - chiefly Britain, Australia and Canada - and the trend has continued this year,” it added.

It was evident across much of the Irish coverage of this dramatic and tragic human interest story of mass unemployment that the practical and urgent proposals put forward by the trade union movement for an investment and infrastructural stimulus were all but ignored across the media.

Meanwhile, EU leaders dashed to Brussels to compare notes on a plan which will lock the peoples of the bloc into a future of permanent austerity. Last week, two-day summit was meant to agree a strategy for economic growth but the reality is more EU loans to countries being denied traditional borrowing routes from credit ratings agencies.

The price extracted will be extortionate - people will be forced to endure public-sector and welfare cuts, privatisation, slashed incomes and a slashing of labour laws.

* Unemployment in the USA:

In America, labour statistics last week exposed a rise in unemployment among African Americans, from 13.6% to 14.4%, double the rate for the white population. The proportion of white Americans out of work was static at 7.4%, and while the jobless rate for Latinos remained high at 11%, it too was unchanged from May. Black unemployment levels in some metropolitan areas have seen the highest rate, in Las Vegas 22.6%, in the Los Angeles metro area 21.1%, Chicago 19.1% and Detroit 18.1%.

The disparity between white and black Americans has been consistent for as long as statistics have been collated, at least back to the 1960s. Conclusions reached by exhaustive research blames poor neighbourhoods in which black people have limited opportunities.

Austerity is not working, it's hitting ordinary people hardest we can see the impact first hand - those people are crying out for growth - capitalism is in serious crisis, we need a planned economy based on socialism !!