PCS: Not a single penny cut, not a single job lost
Supporting the call at the TUC conference for co-ordinated action by the unions against the government’s public spending cuts, the Public and Commercial Services union has made the case for the economic alternative.
Speaking in the debate, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said not a single penny needed to be cut and not a single job should be lost.
The union has published its alternative economic strategy, which says the coalition government should create jobs, not cut them, and invest in the public sector to help the economy to grow.
Mark said: “The millionaires in the cabinet are living in a bubble of privilege and are trying to make the low-paid and vulnerable pay for the economic crisis. The real scroungers are the wealthy who avoid paying the tax they owe.
“Spending cuts are not inevitable, they are a political choice. There is an alternative.
We are not just saying we do not want jobs to be cut, we are saying the government should be creating jobs in both the public and private sectors and investing in our future.
“We do not believe there is a divide between public and private, the real divide is between the haves and the have nots. We need to see co-ordinated action between the unions, but we also need to help build a popular movement of opposition the like of which we haven’t seen for many years.”
Later this week, PCS and Unison will sign an agreement to work more closely together at national, regional and local levels to fight spending cuts and promote the role of public services in the economy.
ENDS
Notes
– To download a copy of the union’s ‘There is an alternative: the case against cuts in public spending’ document visit www.pcs.org.uk/altdoc
– To read the joint statement by PCS and Unison about fighting the cuts and promoting public services, visit www.pcs.org.uk/pcsunison
– For information and interview requests, contact PCS national press officer Richard Simcox on 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
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