UNISON launches ad campaign to promote public services champions

UNISON has today (Wednesday) launched an advertising campaign to show the positive impact of public sector workers, while also highlighting their struggles as a result of cuts to public spending.

The campaign, called Public Service Champions, was developed by the Good Agency and is made of a series of six adverts showing an employee and a member of the public sharing two sides of a story that’s been made difficult due to lack of funding.

The ads show that public services are at risk despite the positive impact staff make saving lives, keeping communities safe, caring for the vulnerable and supporting children in schools.

One of the ads shows a woman in a wheelchair whose life was saved by the NHS and a stressed paramedic struggling with a huge workload who says ‘the NHS needs saving’.

Another ad focuses on a care worker who can’t cope with having to deliver care in 15 minutes to a vulnerable person who is reliant upon her. The other jobs featured are a teaching assistant, a librarian and a youth worker.

The six adverts will appear on billboards, on over 400 poster sites across the UK, and in national and regional print media.

As part of the campaign the union has also released a short film about the issues around 15-minute care visits. Two more short films on the NHS and youth work are also due to be launched.

The ads all include a call to action to the public, to get involved however they can to stand up for public services.

The campaign was planned and commissioned before the general election was announced, but will, potentially, have greater resonance over the coming weeks.

UNISON campaign coordinator David Arnold said: “Public sector employees work relentlessly to keep us safe, look after the sick and vulnerable, keep our streets clean and care for us in medical emergencies. But their jobs are increasingly difficult to do. Government cuts mean more and more are leaving as their jobs are becoming impossible and unsafe, and their pay falls further behind.

“Through this campaign we are celebrating their achievements from the perspective of the public while highlighting how spending cuts are putting services at risk.”

Media contacts:
Fatima Ayad T:0207 121 5255 M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
Joe Lewis T: 0207 121 5255 M: 07970 863 411 E: j.lewis5@unison.co.uk