Scotland: Trade unions must adopt a fighting policy to defeat the cuts

Since 2009 there has been a 25% real terms cut in Scottish local government spending. Nearly 40,000 council jobs in Scotland have been lost since the start of the ConDems vicious austerity programme and at least £2billion stolen from councils across Scotland.

UNISON members who work in our colleges and voluntary organisations have also faced a massive assault on their jobs, conditions and the services they provide. The impact has been even greater when the increased demands on services due to the social fallout of the rich elite’s economic crisis are factored in as well as the billions being cut from welfare budget. Workers are under more pressure and work related stress is higher than ever.

UNISON Scotland’s latest research highlights that 60% of the ConDems cuts have still to come – a further £3.7 billion on top of the £3 billion already cut from the Scottish budget since 2009. They have been passed by the UK Parliament, but have yet to be implemented. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that local government cuts hit poorest areas hardest, with even more misery to come for the poorest families due to welfare reform.

UNISON members who have used industrial action in recent years to resist cuts in pay and attacks on conditions, particularly in our branch here in Glasgow against a particularly hard-nosed Labour Council, are to be congratulated. We have won some disputes, drawn others and lost some. As we enter the second half of 2014, we need to step – up our resistance once again in anticipation of the Scottish local government budget setting process for 2015/16 and beyond.

At the last UNISON Glasgow Branch Committee, there was unanimous support for calling on UNISON’s Scottish leaders do the following:

• Ensure that UNISON Scotland’s current policy of calling on local councils to set defiance needs budgets whilst leading a campaign for more money from the Scottish and UK Government’s is our primary political demand. We should at least call on all councils to set a 2015/16 budget which is no less than that for 2014/15 under the slogan “No Cuts”. We should also make the demand that no further charges are levied for council services.

• Begin a campaign for Scottish wide industrial action in early 2015 if councils move to implement further cuts to jobs, workers conditions and council services as part of their 2015/16 budget. Any action should be co-ordinated where possible with other trade unions.

• Call a Scotland-wide conference of local government trade union organisations to discuss what action can be taken to assist in building a co-ordinated fight back against cuts to services, conditions and jobs. Such a conference could also involve campaigns to defend local services, trades councils and similar anti-cuts organisations. The STUC should organise a national demonstration on the theme of “No Cuts” as early as is practicable, but no later than June 2015, as part of this campaign.

Trade unions in local government and beyond should pass similar motions in their organisations. UNISON Glasgow Branch members will continue to fight every local attack the best they can. However, we need a more effective Scottish wide trade union approach if we are to truly resist the massive attacks we are facing.

It’s also clear now that whatever the outcome of the referendum – Socialist Party Scotland is supporting a Yes vote in September – huge cuts are planned to Scotland’s public services. Cuts that SNP and Labour politicians are only too ready to implement. The need for the trade unions to build a new party to represent the working class is vital. We need councillors and MSPs who will refuse to make the cuts and help lead the fight to turn the tide against savage austerity.