I sometimes wonder if we are living in the same country

When I read some newspapers, turn on the TV or radio, or – even worse – hear David Cameron talking about unemployment, I wonder if we are living in the same country. 

Yes, it is good that the number of unemployed people has fallen. And yes, it sounds positive that record numbers of women are in work, but scratch the surface and there is a very dark side to these statistics.

For a start, 2.34 million people out of work is a huge number – it is a personal tragedy for them and their families.  And then, if you look more closely at the statistics, underemployment is a bitter reality for millions of struggling families across the UK.

Too many people are stuck in minimum wage jobs, on zero-hours contracts and in part-time work when they are desperate to go full time.  And the rise in the number of women working exposes a gender pay gap that has risen from £89 to £97 a week.

Too many people are without regular, secure employment and have to resort to foodbanks to feed their families. 

Working zero-hours contracts means you never know whether you will have enough to pay your bills – and if you complain, your hours may be cut even further.

And the public-sector pay cap that spelt misery for millions as the value of their pay has fallen further and further behind rising costs.

Today, George Osborne is actually in a different country – Hong Kong – saying that the economy is still too unbalanced.  I won’t state the obvious here! 

He is warning of more “hard decisions”, which we know equates to more job losses and cuts across already hard-hit public services.

Our number one priority is to protect members and the services they provide in the face of this government’s onslaught.