All public sector staff need and deserve a decent pay rise now, says UNISON

Opening the public sector pay debate at the 149th Trades Union Congress in Brighton, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “For millions of public service workers struggling to survive, there is no more pressing issue than lifting the pay cap. “We’ve seen years of brutal austerity and vicious attacks on public services, overseen by an uncaring government whose pay policies are causing real hardship. “In the first six years of Conservative rule, public sector pay rose by just 4.4 per cent, yet the cost of living soared by 22 per cent. And to rub salt into those wounds, the pay of top bosses rose by a third in one year alone. “Whilst the rich feather their nests, public service workers struggle to afford the basics. The government call it prudence and restraint – I call it inhuman. “Every single year it’s getting worse – the care worker who can’t afford the bus back from work, and the healthcare assistant walking home from his shift via the local foodbank. Then there’s the teaching assistant secretly applying for pay day loans, ashamed, frightened that if her boiler finally packs up this winter, her family is a cold snap away from disaster. “A quarter of UNISON members – 300,000 public service workers – don’t know how they would pay for an unexpected expense. More than three quarters are buying less food and one in ten are missing entire meals to feed their children. “It’s an outrage, and it’s getting worse. Inflation is three times th...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release dave prentis pay pay cap public services TUC Source Type: news