Unite slams Tory council leader over twitter shame
2 November 2011
Unite, the UK’s largest union, is calling for an apology from
Keith Mitchell, the Tory leader of Oxfordshire county council, as
anger over an abusive tweet mounts.
In the tweet, which was sent on the day youth workers staged a
one-day walk-out outside County Hall, Oxford, Keith Mitchell
described the striking workers as ‘a gaggle of deficit deniers’ and
asks ‘do they have jobs or are they on benefits?’ -
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2011/11/keith-mitchell-twitter-attack/
Doug Nicholls, Unite national officer for community and youth
workers and the not for profit sector, said: “Keith Mitchell hasn’t
got a clue, this is pretty rich coming from a man who has presided
over the destruction of the youth work profession in
Oxfordshire.
“Such comments are deeply insulting to both those who have lost
their jobs in the council’s short-sighted re-structuring exercise
and to the young people across the county who they support.
“He needs to recover some professional credibility by getting
around the negotiating table with the workers to discuss how a
high-calibre youth service can be saved.”
Oxfordshire county council is slashing youth service funding
from £3.7 million to £1.4 million, making the country one of the
lowest contributors to youth services in the country.
The jobs of 80 professional youth workers are under threat, as
the Conservative-led council pushes ahead with plans to off-load
the running of its 26 youth clubs and two-detached youth teams.
ENDS
For more information please contact Chantal Chegrinec, Unite
press office, on on 07774 146 777
