Villagers: Letters To The Editor 2005-01-29

The Community Workers Co-operative (CWC), a national anti-poverty network, which has been an independent critical voice of government policies on anti-poverty and equality issues for 24 years, has had its funding withdrawn by Minister Noel Ahern, in what the CWC calls a sinister move to silence an effective critical voice.

This is despite the fact that all evaluations of the funding programme have shown the CWC to be one of the most active and effective organisations in addressing poverty and exclusion. The CWC coordinates the Community Platform (a network of 25 national anti-poverty and equality organisations) that refused to endorse the last social partnership agreement.

The CWC provides disadvantaged communities, and those working with them, an avenue to collectively analyse and express their experience of government policies. In recent years this has been an experience of frustration and increased concern at what is perceived to be increased top-down control of community organisations by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

At local level, the CWC plays a central role in supporting the participation of the community sector in local partnership. At national level, it offers a voice for hundreds of groups fighting poverty, who are not otherwise represented and it has also provided a co-ordination and support role for the rest of the Anti-Poverty Networks at national level.

We believe the Minister has ignored recent evaluations of our work and the views of hundreds of organisations on the ground who insist that the CWC funding should be reinstated. The Minister offers no rationale for this decision and there was a complete lack of due process.

Reacting to the Minister's decision, Helen Johnston, Director of the Combat Poverty Agency, expressed shock and disappointment, saying: "the CWC has been to the forefront in supporting the development of an independent voice for people who are excluded. It has played an essential role in the provision of information and resource guides on anti-poverty policy development and provided support to the most marginalised communities."

Nine other national anti-poverty networks have offered their support and said that the CWC has played a central role in the development of community work in Ireland over more than 20 years, initiating much of the new thinking in community work and supporting hundreds of local community organisations fighting poverty.

The CWC is clearly being punished for its role in bringing the critical voice of disadvantaged communities together and allowing it to be heard. The right to have this independent voice – and the role of the government in ensuring that such a voice exists – is central to a healthy democracy. By making this decision the Government is saying to disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland: "we will support you as long as you do not question our policies."

The CWC is launching a national campaign to get this decision reversed and calls on all those committed to social justice and democracy to support this campaign in any way they can.

Community Workers Co-operative

Galway City

For further information please contact Seán Regan, National Co-ordinator at 091-779030 or log on to www.cwc.ie