Spending Cuts Prompt Protest Marches

Thousands of trade union members marched through the centre of Belfast protesting against government spending cuts at the weekend.

The march coincided with a much larger one taking place in London - which was marred by trouble afterwards - with members of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) estimating that around 6,000 workers and their families gathering peacefully in Belfast city centre on Saturday to protest against the cuts outlined in Chancellor George Osborne's Budget, delivered to the Commons on Wednesday.

The crowd was addressed by Taryn Traynor of UNITE and Peter Bunting, ICTU Assistant General Secretary.

Mr Bunting told the crowd the Chancellor's plan was "half-baked and half-witted" and said there was an 'alternative' to the government's austerity programme.

Peter Bunting also commented: "The alternative to the spending cuts is the £123bn worth of taxes uncollected either through tax avoidance or tax evasion. We believe that if that money was recouped it would lead to not one austerity measure being implemented. In Northern Ireland, we will see thousands more people cast onto the unemployment register and we don't see any private sector activity which would generate jobs and which would make up for those lost in the public sector."

The demonstrations were followed by another march in Londonderry to protest against the NI Health Minister's recent decision to shelve a planned radiotherapy unit.

Between 500 and 1,000 people marched from the centre of Derry to Altnagelvin Hospital and followed an earlier rally in Guildhall Square by those opposed to government cuts.

The disputed decision means that people in both Co Londonderry and from Co Donegal will have to continue to make the 200-mile round trip to the cancer centre in Belfast.

(JG/BMcC)