‘ We ’ll fight the public sector pay freeze ’

Government plans for an ongoing public sector pay freeze will be the big issue affecting UNISON members and our public services, general secretary Dave Prentis told the national executive council (NEC) today.
“It is in the DNA of the Tory party to attack public service pay and public service provision,” he told the final meeting of the year via video. “We’ve seen it ever since Margaret Thatcher.”
He hit out at Tory efforts to divide and rule by setting private sector workers against their public service counterparts. “There’s no such thing as a private sector household or a public sector household – there are just households which often include both.
“Any job lost or pay frozen affects them all.”
And Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s promise of a £250 payment to low-paid workers was a repeat of George Osborne’s empty promise in 2010, he said. “Only 10% of our members actually received the payment.
“Don’t believe them – they are liars,” he declared.
As the health crisis gives way to an economic crisis, UNISON plans to engage its members in a major, unified campaign to break the pay freeze.
“People worried about their health and exhausted from fighting the virus are now worried for their livelihoods. We will work together with all TUC unions to fight this freeze.”
The COVID-19 pandemic had seen the union at its best, Mr Prentis told the NEC.
From representing members at work to campaigning, winning legal victories and our welfare services providing...

Source: UNISON meat hygiene - December 10, 2020 Category: Food Science Authors: Martin Cullen Tags: Article News dave prentis NEC pay freeze Source Type: news