It is time for real pay rises for all public service workers, says UNISON

Opening the debate on public sector pay today (Monday) at the Labour Party conference 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. “They’ve suffered years of brutal austerity and vicious attacks on public services, overseen by a government that does not care what damage it causes to people’s lives. “In the first six years of Conservative rule, public sector pay rose by just 4%, while the cost of living soared by 22%. “So for every year that’s a pay cut, and every pay slip is a painful reminder for those struggling to get by and to afford the basics. “The Conservatives call it prudence and restraint – I call it inhuman. “The care worker who can’t afford the bus back from work, the nurse relying on a local foodbank, and the teaching assistant forced to apply for pay day loans – frightened that if her boiler finally packs up this winter, her family is a cold snap away from disaster. “These are not tales of pity or tales of woe. This is about real lives – the lives of the millions of people who work for all of us and who ask for nothing more than dignity, respect and a fair share. “Thanks to this Conservative government, a quarter of UNISON members – 300,000 public service employees – don’t know how they would pay for an unexpected expense. More than three-quarters of them are buying less food and one in ten are m...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release dave prentis health labour conference public sector pay public services Source Type: news