UNISON May Day warning to government

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:The Tory/LibDem government’s first anniversary in power has been marked by the shocking news that the NHS will have to make more billions of pounds of so-called “efficiency” savings. So much for the pre-general election claim that the NHS was safe in Tory/Lib Dem hands. The path from last May is scattered with broken promises and from the casualties of this coalition government’s public spending cuts. The economy is still in intensive care, but the government’s medicine is not working.We know that worse lies ahead. After the double bank holiday feel-good factor wears off, the reality of austerity Britain will kick back in. For public sector workers and the people who rely on them; for the sick, the vulnerable, the elderly, the jobless and those seeking to better themselves through education, the future is bleak.Unless this government changes direction, it is heading for industrial turmoil on a massive scale. The government must understand that UNISON will fight tooth and nail to protect and defend public services. And UNISON will ballot one million of its members to strike to protect their pensions. This will not be a token skirmish, but a prolonged and sustained war, because this government has declared war on a huge proportion of the population.Many have the opportunity in elections this week to let the government know exactly what they think of its handling of the economy. The government would be wise to take note of that verdict.