The government is out of touch, has no understanding of the struggles ordinary families are facing and has run out of ideas to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Wednesday).
In her keynote speech at the union’s annual conference in Brighton, she said: “The country is smack bang in the middle of the worst cost-of-living crisis in over 70 years. The poorer people are, the higher the price they’re paying.
“Struggling families are forced to choose between eating or heating, and food banks are stretched to breaking point. Ministers should be hanging their heads in shame.
“The government is so out of touch. Ministers don’t understand because they’re just not like everyone else.
“The cost-of-living crisis is down to political choices. The government’s choosing not to increase taxes on the wealthiest. Ministers had to be dragged kicking and screaming into a windfall tax.
“The government stubbornly refuses to increase capital gains tax, choosing instead to hike national insurance, a tax on working people. But those who get their income from stocks and shares or buy-to-let properties pay nothing more.
“Instead of making political choices to help the less well-off, the government’s happy to let those who unashamedly profiteered from the pandemic off the hook.
“If ministers were serious about giving public service workers a pay rise to help ease the financial pain of soaring inflation, it could bring in a windfall tax on the indecent profits made by companies who blatantly exploited the pandemic.
“Or get back the cash from the £4 billion worth of fraudulent Covid loans given to employers. Only last week, it emerged the chancellor had failed to insure against interest rises on government debts. This blunder cost taxpayers a staggering £11 billion.
“That money could have given every single public sector worker a decent pay increase this year. Instead, the very people whose courage and dedication got the country through the pandemic are now having to rely on charity.
“We’re witnessing the dying days of a corrupt and out-of-touch government. A government hanging on to power but out of ideas.
“Unlike the government, dealing with the cost-of-living crisis is UNISON’s number one priority.
“The pay claims are in. No one knows yet the offers we’ll get, but the union’s getting strike-ready, because that’s where we’re heading.
“Boris Johnson’s government talks big – but does little. Ministers are determined to look after their own and let everyone else pay the price.
“UNISON won’t sit back and let the liars, cheats and fraudsters in Westminster get away with saying they won’t give public services workers a proper pay rise. Nor that the country needs to practise pay restraint.
“If we have to, we’ll strike to protect public service workers and the public services everyone depends on. That means working with other unions across the UK. If we’re going to take a stand, that’s essential.
“Working people need unions more than ever. But the tide is turning. The government that’s hostile to unions is in terminal decline, and it’s led by a man who’s lost the support and respect of large parts of the country and his own party.
“This is the biggest challenge we’ve faced in a generation. The government should be in absolutely no doubt, UNISON is strong, UNISON is resolute and UNISON is up for the fight. Together we rise.”
Notes to editors:
-UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
– Christina McAnea was speaking to delegates on the second day of UNISON’s annual conference in Brighton. The event takes place at the Brighton Centre from 14 to 17 June and the cost-of-living crisis, public sector pay, social care and sick pay are among the topics debated.
