Dublin Mid-West Summer 2020
NEWSLETTER Covid crisis: Workers must come first
Gino Kenny TD working with cllr.madeleine johansson
CONTACT: Gino Kenny TD 085-7211574 Cllr. Madeleine Johansson 0873630242
It has been a very strange few months for most people, as our lives have been completely overturned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many things may be at a standstill, but the world of politics goes on. The government has recently produced a roadmap for the lifting of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are desperate to reopen the economy. But it is not clear as to whether it is safe enough to reduce social distancing measures, particularly in workplaces. We do not have adequate testing and contact tracing in this country and opening up the country too soon could cause a spike in cases. The need to get the economy going again is no excuse for preventable deaths. Workers come first. People’s lives should always come before profits, and we will continue to challenge the government on their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. People Before Profit have stood with many groups who have been left behind, such as construction workers, nurses, leaving cert students, those in need of childcare, Debenhams workers, transport workers and more. We have also set up a worker’s helpline to assist people in this extraordinary time. This virus has already changed society significantly, and we will be very likely returning to an economic depression and mass job losses. The reason for this is that our current economic system is not designed to withstand crises, in fact it invites them. Now, more than ever, it is important that we are ready to fight against the coming austerity and reversal of government supports such as the 350 COVID payment.
Our Constituency Office in Clondalkin is temporary closed to the public. We can be contacted by email/ social media/phone.
Gino Kenny TD f @ginosocialist t
talks for a left government
Dublin Mid-West Summer 2020
Last February, the people of Dublin Mid-West overwhelmingly voted for change by re-electing me as their People Before Profit representative. However, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are currently in talks about forming a government together, with the Green Party the most likely option to join them. We in People Before Profit know that this is not what most people want, and we want to deliver the change that people clearly voted for. We have had talks with Sinn Féin about forming a left government that would deliver in areas such as public and affordable housing and a properly funded and resourced single tier public health service. We would work hard to address the social and economic inequality that many people in the Dublin Mid-West area, and across Ireland face daily. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic stalled these talks and we all continue to work hard to limit and
manage the spread of the virus. However, People Before Profit has recently written to Mary Lou McDonald to urge Sinn Féin to resume the talks so that we can work together to bring about the changes that people in Dublin Mid-West are demanding. I am happy to say that she responded favourably. I look forward to working with Deputies Eoin O’Broin and Mark Ward and I will keep you posted about developments.
Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme Before the public health emergency, the progress in regard to the MCAP was torturously slow. In my correspondence with the Department of Health recently they stated that they considering the pricing structures of the medical cannabis products which have been approved under the programme. Three medical cannabis products were approved in December to be prescribed under the MCAP. I will continue to push the government for the commencement of the programme.
Access to Spinraza: One Year on
Last June the drug Spinraza was approved for all children with (SMA) Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Following a lengthy campaign by families and patients the drug was approved for funding. Since then only half of the twenty-five candidates who were approved have been giving access. One of those candidates is Glen Mc Hugh Farrelly who lives in Clondalkin. In the past few weeks I have written to the Minister for Health requesting that he correspond directly to the families desperately waiting for access to Spinraza.
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Dublin Mid-West Summer 2020
going back to work? Put your safety first! Employers have pushed to get as many people back to work as soon as possible. While many works might be keen to get back to work for financial reasons there is no evidence that employers have prioritised workers’ safety through this crisis. The numbers of Covid19 Clusters in workplaces has gone up in recent weeks. If you are going back to work, you must insist that your employer puts your safety first. You should ensure that you elect Safety Representatives who can raise your concerns or bring in your union or the Health and Safety Authority who have the power to close the job down if it’s not safe. Don’t let your boss appoint someone. Your employer is obliged to follow rules set out in a Return to Work Safely Protocol and ensure that social distancing of 2 meters can take place and that hand sanitisers, masks, and clinical waste bags are provided. You should ensure there are clear procedures for handwashing and that there is proper ventilation. Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) should also be provided. Work should be reorganised so that social distancing can take place even if this means working slower than in the past. PBP has been demanding that more resources be devoted to enforcing safety as to date there have been no inspections following complaints in relation to Covid 19. Workers who believe their safety is being put at risk should know that they do not have to continue working in an unsafe environment. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (Section 27(3) basically says workers don’t have to stay at work if their safety is at risk and employers cannot penalise them if they leave. So, if you feel your safety is being put at risk, and you are ignored when you raise it with your employer, talk to your mates and consider walking out together to protect your safety.
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Dublin Mid-West Summer 2020
housing development in clonburris At the council meeting on Monday 11th May the first council housing development in Clonburris was proposed by council management. The development includes 274 homes, out of which 184 are to be affordable housing and 90 social housing. The affordable housing in this proposal ranges in price from €162 000 for a 1-bed, €216 000 for a 2-bed and €261 000 for a 3-bed. When compared to other new builds in Lucan there is a discount on the market rate, however we have seen other affordable housing scheme selling well below €200 000. A lot of families who need housing won’t be able to afford to buy a €261 000 home.
It is unclear how the current public health crisis will affect the economy over the next few years, including the housing market. Entering into an affordable housing scheme where prices are already unaffordable might end up in disaster for the council. The better alternative to this unaffordable “affordable housing” is to increase income limits for social housing to allow more families access while simultaneously building large-scale high-quality housing. This development will come back to the council later in 2020 and we will continue to raise these issues and fight for real affordable
Planning applications in Palmerstown Village Two new planning applications have been submitted for Palmerstown Village. The first is a Strategic Housing Development on the Vincent Byrne site. It’s for 350 build-to-rent apartments, all 1-beds and 2-beds. A previous application on this site was refused in December 2018. This new development is completely out of proportion for the village setting and the build-to-rent nature of the apartments mean that many locals won’t be able to afford the extortionate rents likely to be charged for these. They also do not provide any accommodation for families. We will be making a submission to An Board Pleanala and urge local residents to do the same.
The second is a revised application for the Palmerstown Lodge to demolish existing buildings and build a new 55-bedroom hotel. The new hotel building is not in keeping with the traditional nature of the buildings in the village. The application details are available on South Dublin Cunty Councils website and a public consultation period is now open. Both developments have the potential to cause serious traffic problems because both have entrances/exits very near the N4 junction on Kennelsfort Rd. It’s important that the heritage of the village remains and is not destroyed by developers looking to make massive profits from hotels or build-to-rent developments.
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Dublin Mid-West Summer 2020
Collinstown Playground The Public Realm in SDCC have announced some exciting plans for Collinstown Park.This major new development is aimed at improving the lives of young people and families in the area and includes a new playground for children up to the age of 12 and a Teen space.
Upright construction workers Over the past weeks workers from Upright Ireland who are based in City West Saggart voted for strike action. They are members of the Connect Union. The workers have been protesting outside the premises in opposition to the company’s plans to move the operation to Latvia. It would appear that employees only discovered that there was an issue when a member of staff was driving past the building and dropped in to see if he could make contact with management. It was only then that he discovered vehicles outside and equipment and tools ready for removal. The workers are very concerned that the company will leave them without a job and no proper redundancy payments. Their employment contracts state that there can be no changes in work practices without prior negotiation with their union, but the company ignored phone calls and emails from staff urging them to talk to them.
People Before Profit fully support the Debenhams workers and we are calling on the government, who have a stake in this with their Bank of Ireland shares, to intervene and not allow these workers to just be discarded
Gino Kenny has joined the workers on a number of occasions and posted interviews with them about their situation. In response the company offered to negotiate. We will be monitoring this situation and offering full support to the workers in their fight for their jobs.
support the debenhams workers!
Gino says: “I am concerned that some companies are trying to use the Covid-19 public health emergency to leave workers without any jobs or redundancy settlements. We have seen a similar move by Debenhams recently. I will stand in support of these loyal workers who do not deserve to be treated so badly. We in People Before Profit will not stand for this kind of treatment of workers.”
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