Back the people, not the spivs Unite urges government
16th September 2009
The price for the recession is being paid for by ordinary
workers while those who pushed the economy over the edge are
getting back to business as usual warns Tony Woodley, Unite joint
general secretary.
Speaking at Congress in Liverpool (today), Tony Woodley warned
that more must be done to protect the jobs of ordinary working
people: “The bonus-drunk spivs who made billions for themselves
while pushing the economy over the edge, taking factories, jobs and
communities in the process, have all got their golden parachutes,
none more so than Fred the Shred who made off, at the age of 50,
with a £16 million pension pot while the bank he ruined sacked
thousands of low-paid finance workers.
“And what is worse is that they are all now getting back to
business as usual, handing out taxpayers’ cash to each other as if
nothing had happened.
“Well it is time for us to call time on the casino and stand up
for the real economy. We need an economy in which millions of
people work hard to make a living, producing the goods and services
our society needs.
“We need our government to tell the so-called ‘Masters of the
Universe’ that they are our servants so stop stuffing your pockets
with our money and start lending it to the businesses and the home
owners who desperately need it.”
Calling on the government to curb the activities of the City
speculators, Tony Woodley continued: “The City got away with it for
far too long. Light-touch regulation was a licence for
gambling with the difference being that the losers could hand us
the bill.”
Urging the government to use the time before the next election
to show working people that they are on their side, Tony Woodley
said: “Let’s put the people first in dealing with this crisis.
“Boost redundancy pay for workers losing their jobs so they get
decent rewards for years of loyal work. Fund short-time
working, as was done in past recessions and just as they do in
Wales today, to keep in place the jobs and factories we need for
our future.
“And make bosses consider alternatives to shutting down.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact Pauline Doyle on 07976
832 861
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