Meeting to resist cuts in public services

Published: July 15, 2010 16:20 by dave

New Labour packed and stuffed the local services with lucrative non jobs in reward for it's supporters.
these cronies made the lives of "real" workers absolute misery.
Offices upon offices ere built and stacked to the rafters at my local council with non jobs and £40k+ a year wages for these bicksittles to make workers lives absolute misery.
They kicked us the workers at every opportunity from pillar to post, bullied us, denied us basic workers rights such as sick pay, the treat us like dirt.
Now it looks like the axe may fall.
I want a front row seat.
Let the heads roll...
A worker

Published: July 15, 2010 22:09 by PSC

Launch of major campaign for public services: Statement from PCS national executive

The PCS national executive committee has launched a new national campaign in defence of jobs, pay, pensions, and civil and public services. The full resources of the union will be mobilised in the months ahead.

A call will go out to all other trade unions to take action together to stop the Tory/Lib Dem government’s huge and vindictive attack on public services and public sector workers.

The measures announced in the Government’s Emergency Budget will disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable in society. The Budget included a two year pay freeze, an increase in VAT to 20%, cuts of £11 billion in welfare benefits including measures to force more people off disability living allowance, a cap on housing benefit, child benefit frozen for three-years, and cuts in tax credits – while giving tax breaks to business worth over £24 billion.

The cuts would worsen the economic situation by slashing the living standards of the vast majority of people, reducing demand, and providing less revenue through tax as unemployment rises.

Alternative to cuts:

The millionaires in the Cabinet have told us we are ‘all in this together’. But the scale of the Government’s attack on the low paid and vulnerable in society is shocking. They would disproportionately affect disabled people, women, and black people.

PCS believes that the cuts are neither necessary nor inevitable. There is an alternative and we will fight for it.

The PCS campaign will promote the positive alternative to cuts: tax justice and investment in public services to deal with the national deficit.

Every year, £70 billion is lost to the economy through tax evasion and a further £25 billion through avoidance by large companies. Billions more are uncollected. That must end.

Money spent on public services is not a debt that has caused economic problems. The deficit was caused by the collapse of the banking sector which sparked a recession. Bailing out the banks cost £1.3 trillion, and the recession hit tax revenues and increased unemployment.

Public services are an investment which could help pull the economy out of recession. Creating jobs would boost employment and tax revenue. We should create a million ‘climate’ jobs by investing in renewable energy, high speed rail links, and by building new housing for the 1.8 million families on council house waiting lists.

PCS will work with other trade unions and community organisations to promote the alternative and defend our jobs, pensions, and the welfare state.

Call for national campaign & demonstration:

The union is calling on the TUC to support and co-ordinate joint union campaigning and industrial action, nationally and locally, in opposition to the cuts.

The NEC called for a day of action in opposition to the proposed cuts for 20 October, the day of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review which will set out more details of cuts.

We are also calling for the TUC to organise a huge demonstration in London against the cuts on 23 October. On that day the Scottish TUC have called a Scotland-wide demonstration in Glasgow.
Immediate action to defend members

The union will immediately begin to organise and build for action to stop job losses and cuts.

On the civil service compensation scheme, the government has now introduced a Bill changing the law so they can make cuts, despite PCS winning twice in the High Court against the previous government’s attempts to cut the scheme. We will ask our Parliamentary Group of MPs to oppose the Bill and ask Branches and members to lobby other MPs.

A meeting of reps from all PCS areas currently under threat from cuts will be called to consider the way forward. The union will give full support to Groups and Branches taking action.

A new series of campaign materials for members and the public will be produced.

Regional Forums for PCS reps on how to fight the cuts will be organised to take place during September and October. Workplace members meetings will also take place.

Our Groups and Regional Committees will meet to discuss building links with other unions and campaigning initiatives.

We will actively participate in the formation of regional joint union Public Sector Alliances and promote other initiatives such as regional conferences of activists. Discussions are taking place nationally on joint working with Unison and Unite.

We will review our organisation and establish Town Committees in strategic areas bringing PCS reps from different civil service and public sector employers together.
Industrial action

It is likely that in order to defend our jobs and services there will need to be industrial action, including joint union action. In September the NEC will consider our industrial action tactics and strategy, including the timing of any national action and the potential for action with other unions.
Build the campaign

But PCS members and reps must not wait. We must immediately build up our campaigns in every locality, our organisation in every workplace, recruit people to our union and fight to stop the cuts everywhere they are threatened. We need demonstrations, protests, lobbies and other initiatives across the UK. In that way we can win concessions, and we can build up our strength and unity if national action is called.

The cuts are on scale which will create the most significant challenge we have had to face since the formation of PCS. The government’s programme would fundamentally undermine the public services which are essential to a civilised society.

The NEC has agreed a broad strategy for fighting the government’s public spending cuts and promoting our positive alternative. The union will need to prioritise the national campaign and devote all its energies in a united and determined manner to the tasks ahead.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)

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