BY MARK MCKELVEY
RECENT employment figures in each of the 25 council districts in the North has again highlighted the gross disparity between East/West of the Bann in terms of industry.
According to the study only half of those of employment age in Strabane actually have jobs, with the situation only slightly better in Omagh and Cookstown who fall below the Northern Ireland average.
The report revealed that Strabane's 50.6% employment figure puts them at the bottom of the employment rate league in the North by a considerable margin.
The market towns of Omagh and Cookstown have the honour of being joint sixth worst in this district league table with 64.5% of their population of working age in employment.
For the North as a whole the average working age employment rate is 68.7%. This compares with a working age employment rate in Britain of 74.3%.
This information contained in a GMB study has stated that the district of Dungannon is the only Tyrone Council area that has managed to get over the average, with 71.2%. However, they are still only the 13th in the list, the highest this side of the Bann, illustrating fully the clear East/West divide that exists.
West Tyrone Sinn Féin assembly member Barry McElduff expressed his intentions to address the issue in Stormont by formatting a cohesive approach with his MLA colleagues from Fermanagh/South Tyrone and Mid Ulster.
"It calls for close working relationships to develop between the 18 MLAs from the rural West of the Bann constituencies. There needs to be cohesion between these MLA's on these strategic issues," said Mr McElduff.
"We do have to try that bit harder to be heard as there is a mindset that Belfast is the epicentre. Within the upper echelons of the civil service there definitely is a greater Belfast mentality.
"There needs to be a clear commitment given by the Minister for Finance and Personnel that they are going to deliver decentralisation of civil service and public sector jobs.
"This is an issue and we are going to have to be tough and strong in our lobbying at the Assembly, as at present there is no evidence of a decentralisation agenda in the civil service."
