Executive staff warn of threat to local jobs

Executive staff warn of threat to local jobs

16 January 2013

HOUSING Executive staff in Downpatrick have warned plans to abolish the organisation will cost jobs and deliver another hammer blow to the protection of public services.

They organised a protest yesterday afternoon in opposition to controversial plans by Stormont Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland to replace the Housing Executive with a new regional body.

Staff based at the Executive’s Downshire Civic Centre were joined by a number of local politicians including South Down MP Margaret Ritchie and marched from their offices to the Ardglass Road junction where a number of Down Council trade union officials joined them.

Mrs. Bronagh Magorrian, a housing manager based at the Executive’s Downpatrick office, said the local protest was part of a Northern Ireland-wide demonstration at the proposed abolition of the housing organisation.

“The Minister’s announcement has resulted in a lot of uncertainty for both staff and tenants,” she declared. “We are all very proud to work for the Housing Executive which was built on fairness and equity and now Minister McCausland wants to obliterate us.

“We have an important role to play and while there may be a need to modernise the organisation, we don’t believe there is a need to get rid of us. We still need to exist, but Minister McCausland wants us to be privatised, to disappear and hand us over to a number of Housing Associations which may not be based in Northern Ireland.”

Mrs. Magorrian said employing around 3,000 staff and responsible for 90,000 homes, there is no Housing Association big enough to cope with that.

“There is a real fear among the staff that the ministerial decision is a precursor to job losses. Many people are angry and we believe that we are going to have to end up applying to Housing Associations for our existing jobs.

“Staff collectively have a high knowledge bank built up over time and we have a lot of information and experience in dealing with a variety of housing issues that is so vitally important,” she said.

The Executive official said staff are also concerned at suggestions that in future the Department for Social Development will decide the policies for any new organisation which takes over responsibility for housing.

“That means politicians will effectively decide who gets houses, but is that not a huge backward step? We believe Minister McCausland is attempting to bamboozle the people of Northern Ireland by claiming this issue is all about money and modernisation. This is not trying to save money,” she declared.

Mrs. Magorrian added: “Staff are extremely angry. How dare Minister McCausland take away this service which is excellent and has been for 40 years. For many people, the Executive is the next port of call for them after their family when something goes wrong.”

Mr. Conor Keenan, who also works in Downpatrick and is a member of the NIPSA trade union, said for all the staff the key issue is the protection of public services.

“This is the privatisation of the Housing Executive. There has been a change of leadership at Board level where a new chief executive is in post who comes from a background of a large housing association in England which is in partnership with 31 other associations.

“The quality of the service provided by the Executive is under threat and there is the potential for job losses as well,” continued Mr. Keenan.

The NIPSA official said public housing in Northern Ireland was best served when the Housing Executive was at its most comprehensive through the 1970s and 80s in particular.

Mr. Keenan added: “No profit organisation is going to take any concern about social issues like the Executive. Our message to Mr. McCausland is to pull back and consider other alternatives, including letting the Executive seek additional methods of funding itself. There is no reason why that can’t be done.”