The Chancellor, George Osborne delivered the 2016 budget yesterday, here is a quick round up of reactions from our TUC bloggers: Public Service cuts £3.5bn worth of cuts to public services by 2020. The spending cuts will be identified through an ‘efficiency review’. Cuts and increased pressures on…Read more…
One-trick Osborne
Chancellor George Osborne has been accused by Unite today (March 16) of having only one-trick in his armoury – cuts – as he misses yet more targets, irresponsibly fails manufacturing and…Read more…
The unequal impact of the mental health crisis
Mental health problems will affect one person in four: a statistic repeatedly quoted these days. There are other numbers. People disabled by mental ill health have only a 20% employment rate in contrast to an overall disability employment rate of just …Read more…
UNISON response to Scottish Government council tax announcement today (2 March)
2 March 2016
Dave Watson, UNISON head of policy and public affairs said,
‘UNISON welcomes any progress on the council tax freeze. However after 8 years we had expected more than tinkering with the present system. This will not ensure that local government is properly funded, nor will it ensure a fair funding for local government. Scotland needs a fundamental review local tax funding for localRead more…
UNISON Scotland joins day of action against Trade Union Bill
Facility time, overwork and workplace stress among the big themes as unions engage with employers
The article UNISON Scotland joins day of action against Trade Union Bill first appeared on the…Read more…
Happy birthday Harry
Harry Leslie Smith, a political activist who has worked with Unite and the wider Labour movement on various campaigns – most recently in getting out the vote at the last general election – celebrated…Read more…
UNISON lobbying Scottish Parliament for fair funding for local services
Scotland’s largest trade union will lobby the Scottish Parliament on budget day (1pm, Wednesday 24 February 2016) to call for a fair funding settlement for local services.Local government has taken the brunt of cuts in Scotland. Scottish Government funding is down by 0.8%. Yet funding for local government is down by 4.5%. This is a £500m cut from local services this year. The cumulative costRead more…
Cameron’s EU Deal… What’s So Special?
Well, BBC Breakfast this morning has wall to wall coverage of the UK’s Special Status in the EU. Cameron has triumphantly marched back from Brussels telling us he has secured a deal that lets us stay…Read more…
Unravelling the myths about austerity
There are many myths about the cuts and the need for austerity – here, we’ve picked out five of the main ones
The article Unravelling the myths about austerity first appeared on the UNISON site.Read more…
All that is rotten and rancid
‘Tweet in haste, repent at leisure.’ When he tapped out his boast – #Google tax bill is a victory for the action we’ve taken – that fateful Saturday morning last month little did…Read more…
UNISON Scotland mounts day of action against austerity
Members across the country call on Edinburgh parliament to use its powers to protect and fund local services people rely on
The article UNISON Scotland mounts day of action against austerity first…Read more…
Trade unions and Falkirk Council fail to agree on new terms and conditions package
Date: Wednesday 10 February 2016
Talks between Falkirk Council and Joint Trade Unions broke down today (9 February) after trade unions could not accept the new package of terms and conditions being proposed by Falkirk Council.
Talks broke down after the Joint Trade Union informed Falkirk Council that following a ballot they felt they could not agree the package put forward.
Falkirk CouncilRead more…
Mum knows best
David Cameron’s own mother has signed a petition against his cuts to children’s services in Tory led Oxfordshire county council. She was persuaded to sign the petition by her sister, Clare…Read more…
Tougher economic conditions, but the IFS suggests the Chancellor’s rules are holding back growth
Yesterday the IFS set out a bleaker view for the economy and public finances in its Green Budget, which is published every year in the run-up to the Chancellor’s Budget Statement. Given the gloomy projections, let’s hope the government takes note, especially with regard to the fiscal mandate….Read more…
Cutting libraries will increase poverty and inequality, says UNISON Scotland
Date: Saturday 6 February 2016
On National Libraries Day (6 February 2016), UNISON is warning that more local government cuts will have a drastic impact on libraries across Scotland, decreasing opportunities for all, and increasing poverty and inequality.
Library services have been undergoing massive change, yet staff numbers have been going down, buildings are closing, opening hours areRead more…
Further cuts to local services not sustainable, says UNISON Scotland
Date: Tuesday 2 February 2016
UNISON Scotland is calling for the Scottish Parliament to use its powers to put more money into local services. By 2020 expenditure on public services will be 12.5% lower in real terms. That is on top of the £2.5bn cuts since 2010.
This next round of cuts will mean at least another 15,000 job cuts for local councils. Of the 50,000 jobs that have been lost inRead more…
Support the Junior Doctors and Student Nurses
For years the government has been slashing at the NHS, cutting and privatising to boost the profits of the private health vultures (many of whom have unsavoury links to MPs and other decision makers).
Now Cameron and Hunt have decided to take on both …Read more…
Sturgeon must act to protect local government services, says UNISON
Date: Tuesday 12 January 2016
UNISON local branches across Scotland are calling on Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, to meet UNISON members to hear about the damage Government policies are having on local government and to discuss the future of local services.UNISON is the biggest trade union in local government and branch secretaries from across Scotland have written to the FirstRead more…
War on the poor
Benefits sanctions, in which people out of work are punished by having their benefits stopped for often absurd reasons, were significantly ramped up in 2012 under work and pensions secretary Iain…Read more…
The most painful cuts
Council services, including elderly care, children’s centres, parks and libraries, among other vital services, have suffered desperately under the weight of the previous government’s spending cuts,…Read more…