In response to a boast by the Local Government Association that pay and job losses in local government have saved £1.4 billion, UNISON is calling on the body to stand up for council jobs and services by challenging the governmentÕs cuts.
Heather Wakefield, UNISON head of local government, said:
ÒInstead of boasting about the deep, painful cuts it has made to local government, the LGA should instead be challenging the government and standing up for council services and jobs.
ÒThese billions have been saved on the back of local government workers, their families, and the communities that rely on the vital services that local government provides.
ÒMost local government services are people intensive. Cuts on this scale have not only hit jobs they have decimated services. The money has also been saved because Local Government workers have been hit with a three year pay freeze, despite the cost of everyday essentials like food and fuel going up. The cuts are also a direct hit on local economies in desperate need of people spending in shops and businesses.
ÒIt is shameful that local government workers are struggling to provide invaluable local services on a poverty wage. The LGA needs to think hard about how it can challenge local government cuts, to restore decent services and pull its workforce out of poverty.Ó
ENDS
