Every day, we’re all reliant on public service workers. Whether it’s the school staff who educate our kids, the health inspectors who make sure our food is safe, the health workers who treat us when we’re sick or the police staff who help keep us safe – public service workers are everywhere, and our country couldn’t function without them.
Often unseen, often unheralded – it’s public servants like these who make our country tick.
And yet in recent years, they’ve found themselves under increasing pressure. Their jobs are at threat or lost as a result of government austerity. They’re constantly being asked to do more with less and deliver to an even higher standard. They’re under incredible pressure.
Most of us would, if asked, say that we value the incredible people who staff our public services. Few would deny the vital impact they have on all of our communities.
And yet when we speak to UNISON members about their work, all too often we hear the same words – “undervalued”, “angry”, “worthless” – used to describe how too many of them are made to feel.
Al of these and more are covered in a new series of videos – Moments of Truth – that UNISON is releasing today as part of our Public Service Champions campaign. The aim of the campaign is to give voice to those who work on our behalf each day, yet too often go unheard. After nearly 10 years of government cuts public services workers know how hard it can be to provide good quality, effective services. They see up close the impacts austerity has on our communities, on all of us.
Moments of Truth keeps people – service users and workers – at the heart of the campaign. Telling their stories, exposing the true impact on people’s lives.
So throughout the campaign, we’ll use the real experiences of public service workers and our members – experts you can trust but who the media and politicians often ignore. As the union for public service workers, we’ll always make sure their voices are heard and that public servants have the place at the table they need and deserve.
So join us in raising their voices and your voices. Share the videos on social media. Support our campaign to champion public services, and continue the fight for public services and everyone who works in them.