Cuireann An Phoblacht fáilte roimh litreacha ónár léitheoirí. Scríobh i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla, 200 focal ar a méid. Déantar giorrú ar litreachta más gá. Cuir do litir chuig [email protected]
An Phoblacht welcomes readers’ letters. Write in Irish or English, 200 words maximum. Letters may be edited for brevity. Send your letters to [email protected]. No attachments please

Defend workers at INN

I AM writing to call on readers to support the campaign by the National Union of Journalists to protect the staff of Independent Network News, INN, which is due to close at the end of the month. Republicans know only too well the cost when a handful of people dominate and control the media. INN provides national and international news to 22 local and regional stations around the country. If it is shut down then it will mean either Denis O’Brien or UTV will step in, tightening their dominance of the radio media in Ireland.
You can find out more about how to help on the NUJ’s website, www.nuj.org.uk, and I would urge Sinn Féin elected representatives to stand up for workers and for media freedom in Ireland.
 Pat O’Sullivan,
Killester,
Dublin 3.

Win £3,000 for your Irish medium nursery school

PESIMISM is prevalent and credit crunching is still the norm but Irish medium schools in Ulster are swimming against the tide. Last year five nursery schools in Armagh, Castlewellan, Ardoyne, Strabane and in Draperstown shared out a total of £10,000 prize money from a new competition run by Irish medium schools funding organisation, TACA.
This year the prize money has been upped to £15,000 with each winning school taking home a whopping £3,000 cheque. The competition is open to Irish medium nursery schools in the nine counties of Ulster.
To be in with a chance of winning schools are being encouraged to write to TACA outlining how a grant would help their school ‘enhance the experiences of the children through play, learning, music, physical activity, art and/or enhance the Irish language ability of the children.’
Application forms for the scheme, Scéim na nDeontas Beag, must be submitted to TACA by 9 November.
The successful applicants will be announced and receive their awards at an event held in the Cultúrlann in Belfast on 10 December.
TACA welcomes application via e-mail or by post from all naíscoileanna in the nine counties of Ulster.
Application forms can be obtained from TACA at [email protected]  or
Or from Páid Ó Cianáin, TACA, An Chultúrlann, 216, Bóthar na bhFál, Béal Feirste,
BT12 6AH
Applications must be received by 9 November, 2009.
PÁID Ó CIANÁIN,
Béal Feirste

Public meeting in support of sacked Coca Cola workers

A public meeting in support of 130 sacked Coca Cola workers will take place in the Sarsfield Pigeon Racing Club on Lally Road, Ballyfermot, 7pmThursday 22 October.
At the meeting, Coca Cola workers and SIPTU representatives will explain the background to the eight week strike over the company’s plans to outsource the jobs of 130 drivers and warehouse staff across the country.
The workers were sacked by Coca Cola HBC Ireland Ltd in September while they were involved in an official dispute with the company at depots in Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford, Tipperary and Tuam, county Galway.
Coca Cola HBC Ireland management has refused to recognise a Labour Court recommendation issued on the 8 September and further clarified on the 7 October last.
The Court recommended that the company implement the terms of a redundancy package previously agreed with SIPTU and to consider the feasibility of retaining its main depot and jobs at Ballycoolin in Finglas, Dublin.
At a rally at Coca Cola H.Q. in Dublin in mid-October SIPTU general president, Jack O’Connor, called on the company to accept the Labour Court recommendations and on the National Implementation Body to intervene in the dispute.
(Coca Cola USA has a 23% stake in Greece based Coca Cola HBC Ltd which holds the franchise to distribute its products across Europe.)
 JOHN DUNNE,
SIPTU Branch Organiser.