Unite: Cowardly coalition cuts deceit must be exposed
21 October 2010
Tony Woodley tours UK to rally workers
against the cuts
The joint general secretary of the UK's biggest union, Unite, is
to tour the UK to take the case against the cuts to the union's 1.5
million members.
Tony Woodley embarks on his regional tour the day after George
Osborne unveiled the harshest cuts to public services in living
memory, accusing the government of being too cowardly to come clean
on the real depth of the cuts.
And Tony Woodley also attacked today's derisory levy on banks -
just 0. 04 per cent - as another slap in the face for working
people who will pay most heavily in the cuts.
Over the next three weeks, Tony Woodley will tour the length and
breadth of the country to hear workers' views on how the cuts will
hit their jobs and communities. His tour begins in Birmingham
today (Thursday) and will finish in Scotland in November.
As he took to the road, Tony Woodley said: "Yesterday, the
coalition tore into our public services, hacking into the health,
education and council services that hold this country together.
"The sight of George Osborne being congratulated by David
Cameron and Nick Clegg, cheered on by Tories and Lib Dem MPs, will
have revolted anyone who has a care for the sick and vulnerable in
this country, and will terrify people who live beyond the
Westminster village.
"As the true extent of these cuts - not the £81 billion Osborne
is cowardly hiding behind but actually a colossal £145 billion - is
revealed, anger will build.
"It won't be the leafy stockbroker belt that feels this pain -
it will be my members trying to raise their families in the
communities of the country that this government has just set about
destroying. The coalition has no mandate for the assassination of
our services - and for those that voted Lib Dem, this is nothing
short of a betrayal.
"Osborne and Cameron's claim that they have no choice is a
bare-faced lie. They have talked this country down from the
moment they took office when the truth is that we are not facing
the economic Armageddon they are scaring people with. Like a
pair of Halloween ghouls, they have frightened people so they can
force through a vicious, ideological attack on social provision
because they don't believe it matters in a civilised society.
"It doesn't have to be this way. A government for everyone
in this country would strain every sinew to prevent pain this deep
with a strategy that delivers a fair and progressive taxation
policy. The pathetically low on levy on banks - 0.04 per cent
- is just another slap in the face for working people. They
suffer for the mess these banks made while those that caused it
literally laugh all the way to the banks. And how will
throwing millions onto the dole and a life on benefits close the
deficit?
"Believe me, when the penny drops and people they realise that
the schools, hospitals and social services they built and paid for
through hard graft and taxes are being destroyed by a political
elite, rage will boil."
Unite believes the true extent of the cuts will be to take a
massive £145 billion from the economy. This is based on the
government's statement in the June budget that it will cut total
managed expenditure by 7.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP)
over six years. This amounts to cuts of £108 billion but as total
managed expenditure also includes debt interest payments, this adds
another £36.6 billion over the six years. That means the
spending on services, benefits and jobs will be cut in real terms
by £145 billion.
Tony Woodley will be urging workers to see through the
coalition's sleight of hands warning:
- £18 billion in benefit cuts will be paid for by taking £1,000
from 18 million households that depend on housing benefit, council
tax benefit, tax credits and "sickness" benefit to support their
household budgets
- Local councils are going to lose more than a quarter of their
budgets (28 per cent) over the next four years, meaning whole areas
of services will stop being delivered, with labour intensive care
services most at risk
- 500,000 public sector job losses and 600,000-700,000 private
sector job losses at least will go; unemployment will reach 4.6
million by 2011
- NHS and the welfare budget cuts are deeply regressive as the
poor and low waged depend on them most heavily
- Education spending "rises" of 1.1 per cent are actually a real
terms cut (inflation is running at above four per cent
Region by region: Tony Woodley's Anti-cuts campaign tour
Thursday 21 October, Birmingham 12:00
noon
Legends Lounge
St Andrews Stadium
St Andrews Road
Birmingham, B9 4RL
Please call Gerard Coyne on 07711
082890
Thursday 21 October, Liverpool 6:30 pm for
7:00pm
Adelphi Hotel
Ranelagh Place
Liverpool, L3 5UL
Please call Paul Finegan 07818 416562
Friday 22 October, North Wales, Shotton
1:00pm
Corus Sports Club
Rowleys Drive
Shotton, CH5 1PU
Please call Peter Hughes 07990 941005
Monday 25 October, Northern Ireland, Belfast
10:00am
Wellington Park Hotel
21 Malone Road
Belfast BT9 6RW
Please call Jimmy Kelly on 00 353 879 003217
Tuesday 26 October, South East, Portsmouth
2:00pm
Co-operative Club
83/87 Kingston Road
Portsmouth PO2 7DX
Please call Ian Woodland on 07770
704480
Wednesday 27 October, South West, Bristol
2:00pm
The Future Inns Hotel
Bond Street South
Bristol BS1 3EN
Please call Laurence Faircloth on 07958 624146
Thursday 28 October, South Wales, Cardiff 12:00
noon
Unite Regional Office
1 Cathedral Road
Cardiff CF11 9SD
Please call Andy Richards on 07970
785470
Tuesday 2 November, East Midlands, Derby
7:00pm
Hallmark Hotel
Midland Road
Derby DE1 2SQ
Please call Adrian Axtell 07958 624668
Wednesday 3 November, Yorkshire & Humber, Leeds
7:00pm
Leeds Civic Hall
Millennium Square
Leeds LS1 1UR
Please call Davey Hall 07802 912735
Thursday 4 November, North East, Gateshead
7:00pm
Gateshead Civic Centre
Regent Street
Gateshead NE8 1HH
Please call Davey Hall 07802
912735
Tony will also be visiting Scotland in the week of November 8th,
venue to be confirmed.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Pauline Doyle on 07976
832 861
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