A GROUP of over 50 Ballyfermot locals held a demonstration against the implementation of bin charges on November 6, at the Civic Centre. The protest was organised by Brid Smith from the People Before Profit political party.

On a bitterly cold afternoon there was a good turnout, which seems to show the level of opposition to the extra tax in the Ballyfermot area. When asked about the issue Smith said “bin taxes are a double tax on workers and their families who already pay a high proportion of their income in income tax and other indirect taxes to pay for essential services. Letters had been sent to many households threatening them with a date in court if they failed to pay their outstanding balance” she added, “No matter how the government look at this, threatening people with a possible jail term is a bully boy tactic”.

A recently released environmental report shows that a quarter of all household waste is now unaccounted for. In other words, many people are now burning and illegally dumping waste because they can’t afford, or refuse to pay the bin charges. The charges increased twice in 2006 alone.

With a new brown bin coming on-stream next year there will be more confusion regarding different types of recycling. Another bone of contention is whenever a person wants to recycle their glass bottles, they frequently find that their recyling centre is full. This has shown to put people off recycling in the past. When this happens they will leave their bags of bottles beside the banks which can lead to kids taking the bags and smashing the bottles across ground. Thus, creating a bigger litter problem for the county council.

Following an ill thought out budget, Fianna Fail (FF) have made a series of row backs. This protest was a smaller version of those going on across the country. We’ve seen pensioners take to the streets against cut-backs on the medical card scheme, students protest against third level fees and teachers gather to let the government know they can’t cut funding in primary education. Then a week later we had Ballyfermot natives banging on the doors of their local councillor to tell him what they think about the bin charges.

On Monday evening the protestors arranged to meet outside Michael Mulcahy’s clinic in Ballyfermot. They left the FF TD in no doubt as to their opposition to his party’s tax on the collection of household waste.

South Dublin County Council also said it would be removing bins from several thousand people who had not paid waste charges in Lucan, Clondalkin, Ballyfermot and Templeogue.

Afterwards Progressive Democrat Senator Tom Morrissey, described the call by Socialist Party representative Joe Higgins for a campaign of civil disobedience as “foolish, irresponsible and highly inappropriate for an elected parliamentarian”. The Government hit back at Higgins with Fianna Fail councillor Chris Andrews toeing the line. He said that “Joe Higgins is making hay out of it”. Other FF cllrs have remained extremely quiet on the issue.

“The rich get away with bloody murder”, said Smith, a Ballyfermot-based carer and SWP member who previously worked for a trade union. “Corporation tax has been reduced to 12.5%, the lowest in Europe. A woman cleaning the bank pays more tax than AIB”. She accused the main parties of “red-baiting” because they are worried about the upcoming local elections.

SIPTU has served strike notice on Dublin City Council in what it says is a dispute in support of colleagues in the recycling firm Oxigen Environmental. The union said more than 200 workers in the council’s cleansing section had voted “overwhelmingly” to take industrial action in support of colleagues at Oxigen who are in dispute over employment rights.

The Ballyfermot Press tried unsuccessfully to arrange an interview with Michael Mulcahy, Fianna Fail TD for the local area. In a planned picket of his constituency office last week he failed to show.