PCS: Defence of the welfare state must be priority

PCS: Defence of the welfare state must be priority

PCS: Defence of the welfare state must be priority

The new coalition government has today (25 May) begun the process of dismantling key elements of the welfare state, the Public and Commercial Services union says.

Just two weeks into the new government, and without any popular mandate or a debate in parliament, plans outlined in the Queen’s speech represent a major assault on state services and the millions of people who rely on them for support and assistance.

Coming a day after the government announced an extra £6.25 billion in cuts to government spending this year and just a month before the emergency budget, the speech is part of a fresh assault on jobs, working conditions and public services that the union has pledged to oppose.

The announcement of another welfare reform bill – just six months after the previous government’s draconian Welfare Reform Act passed into law – is a major indicator of how the Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition will seek to punish the vulnerable for a recession caused by greed in the financial sector, the union says.

Other measures announced, including further incentives for schools to become academies and the transfer of more public services to the private sector, show the government is committed to large-scale privatisation.

Detail that has emerged from departments following yesterday’s announcement shows job losses and cuts to public services will be unavoidable, despite the government’s claims it is only targeting ‘waste’ and inefficiency.

Among the £500 million to be cut from non-departmental public bodies was an announcement that the education agency Becta will close, with the loss of more than 200 jobs, as well as cuts to other bodies such as Regional Development Agencies across the UK and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency.

The union has also said a recruitment freeze in the civil service, when tens of thousands of civil service posts have been cut in the last few years, will seriously damage the ability of staff to provide services to the public.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “The trio of announcements yesterday, today and coming in the emergency budget on 22 June shows this new government’s true colours. Far from being a new politics, this looks very much like the old way of doing things – cutting jobs and services without consultation or agreement of those most affected.

“We are deeply concerned about the further erosion of state services that have been built up over many years and which millions of people rely on. We are not only committed to defending our members’ jobs and livelihoods, but we are also calling for a major coalition of trade unions and community groups to come together to fight these cuts and defend public services.”

ENDS

Notes

– For information and interview requests, contact PCS national press officer Richard Simcox on 020 7801 2747 or 07833 978216

– The Public and Commercial Services union represents civil and public servants in central government. It has more than 300,000 members in over 200 departments and agencies. It also represents workers in parts of government transferred to the private sector. PCS is the UK’s fifth largest union and is affiliated to the TUC. The general secretary is Mark Serwotka and the president is Janice Godrich

– Follow PCS on Twitter http://twitter.com/pcs_union