Cameron Speech - UNISON response

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “The truth is that Cameron has no strategy for growth, or for recovery. He got it wrong when the banks failed, by opposing the bailout, and he’s got it wrong now. “Cameron and his coalition’s cuts will see hundreds of businesses that rely on public sector contracts shut their doors, with half a million private sector workers losing their jobs. Economic output is predicted to dip by a whopping £46 billion. “The coalition’s own figures show nearly half a million public sector workers will lose their jobs. Adding upwards of a million more people to the dole queues now spells danger. There are, on average, already more than four unemployed people chasing every vacant post across the country. The situation is even worse in some parts of the country, with 31 people chasing every job in Hackney, and 25 in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. “This scramble for jobs will see the dole queues rise to record levels. Demand in the economy will plummet, so will the tax take, but the benefits bill will sky rocket. Some of the poorest regions will be hardest hit. “This is a recipe for disaster, for a decade of downturn, which will see inequalities rise, public services crumble, and consign a generation of young people to the scrap heap.”