STRABANE TO LOSE 37 JOBS!!

Strabane suffers yet another ‘dose of discrimination’

The current proposals to remove 37 SSA benefits processing jobs from the Strabane Social Security Office has been described this week by SDLP MLA Joe Byrne as another dose of discrimination by Government?

Strabane since partition has suffered decades of neglect and discrimination by central Government leaving Strabane with a legacy of high unemployment and economic neglect. The current economic recession and the rising numbers of people dependent upon unemployment benefits mean that Strabane still enjoys the unfortunate tag of having the highest unemployment on these islands. Given the current state of the economy it is absolutely unbelievable that central Government once again has decided to kick Strabane and its people with the decision on the SSA jobs.  The people of Strabane and District had hoped that the days of Government discrimination were over and that equality of treatment by Government in terms of economic development and equity of distribution for public expending across the North would be more fair and balanced.

This current proposal demonstrates all the hallmarks of central Government indifference and lack of social and economic concern for the town and people of Strabane. I believe strongly that this current proposal if implemented augers badly for the devolved Government in dealing with border areas like Strabane which need positive decisions by Government to boast local economy and create employment opportunities for people. 

This adverse decision against Strabane has to be examined by the Northern Ireland exec as a whole in terms to a strategic importance to the people of Strabane, both in terms of workers directly affected and the unemployed claimants who need local access to benefits processing staff.

It is obvious to me that this current proposal fly’s in the face of equality of treatment for local communities in relation to how central Government treats them at a local level.