Cutting public sector jobs would hinder economic recovery, says
Unite
15th February 2010
Cutting public sector jobs would hinder, rather than help,
Britain’s economic recovery, Unite, the country’s largest union,
said today (Monday, 15 February).
Unite was responding to the report by the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development (CIPD) which said that almost one in
three public sector employers plan to shed jobs this
quarter.
Unite said that the public sector was ‘integral’ to recovery, as
the CIPD predicted that defence and administration in the public
sector would be particularly hard hit.
Gail Cartmail, Unite assistant general secretary for the public
sector said public sector unions, such as Unite, had a key role to
play in supporting workers during these difficult times and to show
the negative effect of losing skills and know-how which happens
when staff are made redundant - and these skills are then very
difficult to recover.
Gail Cartmail said: ”Public services and their staff are integral
to the UK's recovery from the global recession caused by reckless
banking practices.
”Organisations, such as Oxfam, and numerous leading economists
caution against cutting public services, as they view recovery as
being reliant on the stimulus and support public expenditure
provides.
”According to TUC analysis, a 10 per cent cut in 2007 - 2008
public sector expenditure equates to 200,000 jobs.
“In cities, such as Newcastle where two thirds of the
economically active are employed in the public sector, the impact
of such cuts would be devastating to the local economy - reduced
taxation, reduced spending and, ironically greater reliance, on
public services such as Job Centres and increased government
expenditure on supporting the unemployed and their families.“
The CIPD's survey of more than 700 employers found that firms in
all sectors plan to cut 6.2 per cent of their workforce in the
first three months of 2010, compared with 3.8 per cent in the
previous quarter.
ENDS
