NUT on Ed Balls’ Speech to Labour Party Conference

Commenting on the shadow chancellor’s speech, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said this:

“Ed Balls is right to highlight the problems caused by the Coalition Government’s cuts. The Government’s attacks on the public sector have caused unemployment and reduced spending power, choking off the growth we need. Teachers have been hit by job losses, and seen their pay frozen at a time of continuing high inflation – a pay cut in real terms. Teachers and other public sector workers have been punished for problems created in the financial sector, yet that sector has quickly returned to high levels of profits and bonuses.

“Labour must go further with its plans and accept that additional public sector investment is essential to economic recovery. Instead of cutting school and college funding in real terms, we need to increase spending on education to equip our young people with the skills needed to secure economic growth. The present economic slump has shown that cuts, job losses and the breakup of our public services will make our problems worse not better.

“Public services are a significant part of the solution and not the problem. Championing our public services, alongside a system which addresses tax avoidance and evasion and implements a Robin Hood Tax, is the way forward.”

Featured