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Coalition's brutal cuts will deepen inequality

23 August 2010

The government's brutal public spending cuts are not only unjust and unnecessary, they will deepen inequality on a scale we have not seen for generations.

The poorest and most vulnerable in society will be hardest hit, while tax breaks worth more than £24 million are given to business.

It is now clear that women, black and disabled people will suffer disproportionately in the cuts, showing the government’s pompous pronouncement of a ‘fair’ budget to be a hollow lie.

Research by the House of Commons Library for shadow work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper suggests 72% of cuts would be borne by women, who are more likely to be hit by reductions in benefits and tax credits as they form the majority of carers.

Cuts to national, regional and local services will have a devastating effect on minority ethnic communities which already suffer the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in the UK. Attacks on disability benefits will take away the essential support required by disabled people to live independently.

Government failed to assess impact of cuts

As public sector workers, we already have the evidence of unacceptable pay gaps between both women and men, and black and white workers. Women, who account for 68% of public sector workers, black and disabled workers, who are often in the lowest paid jobs, now face a pay freeze and job losses, leading to increased poverty in old age. Ratcheting up harsh absence management regimes will also have a disproportionate impact on disabled workers.

By law, the government should have carried out and published an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on all these measures, to consider the likely effects on people in terms of disability, gender and race, and remove any negative or adverse impact which amounts to unlawful discrimination.

Not only has this not been done, but the government is slashing the budget of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the only body with statutory powers to take enforcement action when an EIA has not been carried out.

We are all affected by public spending cuts, both as workers and in the services we provide. In response to the government’s intention to make ordinary people pay the price for an economic crisis which we did not cause, PCS has launched the biggest campaign in the union’s history.  For that to succeed, we need to use every means at our disposal - media and parliamentary lobbying, organising, our industrial strength and the law.

Fawcett launches legal challenge to budget

Equality campaign group the Fawcett Society is mounting a legal challenge to the government’s emergency budget.

The group, which believes the budget fails the ‘gender equality test’ requiring public authorities to work to eliminate gender discrimination, has filed papers with the High Court seeking a judicial review of the emergency budget.

A permission hearing will be held to determine whether the judicial review is granted.

Equality must be central to our campaigns

Equality must be integrated throughout our campaigns, because we are a diverse union and that makes us stronger. Fighting inequality together will help stop in their tracks the far right’s attempts to blame minorities for the impact of public service cuts.

As a key element of our campaign, the PCS equality committee is drawing up a robust strategy to challenge the cuts and to support our positive alternative. These cuts will lead to a more unequal society where the only beneficiaries will be the rich and the powerful.

PCS is asking all groups and equality forums to provide data to assist the equality committee’s campaign. We are planning campaign materials targeting young members, women, black, disabled and LGBT members. We are also producing guidance and training for reps on EIAs, which have already been used successfully in opposing closures at ACAS.

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