UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:
“The Prime Minister has come a long way since the
‘scars on my back speech’.
I am heartened by his outspoken praise of public
service front line staff.
It will give our members, particularly those at the
Whittington Hospital, a
much needed boost after a week in which they have
been used as a political
football by the Tory party.
“It is timely that the Prime Minister has seen the sense
of what we have
been saying for years that you cannot denigrate public
service workers and
get a world class service.
“UNISON members have held together our public
services over the past two
decades through the most difficult times because they
believed in them. And
they, too, believe they are worth saving.
“I hope the fact that he has downplayed the role of the
private sector,
which is more concerned with profit than service,
means the love affair is
over. Always talking of bringing in the private sector to
fix things,
lowers morale just as much as constant criticism. The
Prime Minister knows
that the skills and expertise are there in the public
sector if only they
had the resources to deliver.
“Now we want to see those words translated into action
by his Secretaries of
State. An end to gambling on the private sector and
real investment, real
reform to get the sort of public services we want.”