Con-demned jobs: Cuts that wreck recovery

UNISON today (24 January) warned that savage public sector job cuts are threatening whole communities and wrecking recovery.The UK’s largest union is publishing a snapshot of “Con-demned jobs” covering just the last 6 weeks, to show that growing numbers of workers are being consigned to already lengthy dole queues, along with the services they provide. Staff at the Heart of England NHS Trust are being hit with the loss of 1,600 jobs and the latest cuts added from local councils include 1,200 in Hampshire, 1,000 in Norfolk and 400 in East Sussex County Councils, where social service departments are being targeted.The careers service has also fallen victim to the cuts, with 8,000 jobs going by 31 March this year. The union is predicting that half the workforce could now be axed - with cuts ranging from 25% to 90% in some areas - leaving young people without the help and advice they need.Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:“This dossier of Con-demned jobs makes very grim reading. Behind every statistic there are families desperate to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table and the dignity of a decent job.“With unemployment up to 2.5m, the coalition cuts are blighting lives and wrecking the country’s chances of recovery. Sacking workers and closing down essential services will not put the economy back on its feet.“The union is calling for an alternative political vision, to boost economic recovery and keep Britain working. Money can and should be raised from the bankers who continue to rake in their bonuses. Having brought the country to its knees by their financial dealing, they are happy to ignore a Government on its knees and powerless to stop the bonus culture.“The latest figures show record levels of unemployment for 16 to 24 year olds, with 1 in 5 (951,000) unable to find work. Getting the right help can make or break the future of young people desperately trying to find their feet, as well as workers made redundant struggling to retrain. “Cutting 8.000 jobs from the careers service will add to their difficulty. The hikes in tuition fees, education cuts and record unemployment means that many young people don’t know which way to turn and now they will have one less place to turn to.”The union says that the figures nail the lie that the NHS is being ring-fenced by the Government. The £20bn that is being demanded in efficiency savings is already being translated into job losses. Good patient care depends on having the right numbers with the right level of skills on the wards. This is one of the key lessons to come out of the Inquiry into the death toll at Mid Staffordshire Hospital Foundation Trust.