Savage Cuts Face the Public Sector

The crisis in the bosses’ capitalist system will touch every sector of the economy. In the public sector the attacks on jobs, wages and conditions will go hand in hand with cuts in the crucial services provided by these local and central government workers.

The raining in of investment and spending for frontline services will come at a time when the need for those services is increasing.  As unemployment rises so will the fallout associated with poverty and inequality. The demand for social care services, addition services, unemployment support, community centres and projects, benefits advice and low cost food projects will increase as working class families bear the brunt of the failings in the capitalist system.  

by Brian Smith, Glasgow Unison branch secretary (personal capacity)

 Public sector workers are always being told by the bosses club the CBI, that they must “live in the real world” and accept cuts in their hard won wages, conditions and pensions.  Care workers, teachers, nurses, job centre advisors and benefits workers do live in the real world – their job is to assist and support the most vulnerable and poorest in society.

The average pension for a council worker is around £4,000 per year – Fred Goodwin’s pension pays him that amount every two days.  Fat cat executives and overpaid bankers have a cheek lecturing public sector workers about living in the real world. Local councils in Scotland are already cutting thousands of jobs through the non-filling of vacant posts, so-called voluntary redundancy and early retirement.

The trade unions should set a tone that encourages members to reject cuts in jobs through these methods. Compulsory redundancies are not ruled out in the coming months and the trade unions must fight any such moves with industrial action.  The employment of temporary and agency staff rather than permanent workers has all ready been raised by the many councils including the largest, Glasgow City Council. 

This council has also stated that it intends to remove its occupational sick pay scheme from those workers who have more than four absences a year or an absence of more than twenty days except in “exceptional circumstances”. The spectre of a pay freeze across local government has been raised with the announcement by the organisation which runs cultural and sport services in Glasgow that they will not raise the pay of their 2,500 workers in 2010/11.  

The Herald newspaper reported in late March that “people at the top of Glasgow Council believe that there should be a pay freeze across the public sector and are seeking backing from other local authorities”.  

The trade unions must do all they can to resist attacks on services, jobs, wages and conditions. The trade union leaders in Scotland should now call a one-day strike in defence of public sector services, jobs and wages. The fight needs to be stepped-up.