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TUC 2009 - Monday afternoon

15 September 2009

The important issues of public service provision and decent pensions for all dominated the first afternoon of the TUC congress.

Stop the public sector rot

Seconding a motion on public services and the economy, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka began by paying tribute to “a group of people whose hard work often goes unacknowledged: the PCS members in the Department for Work and Pensions who help our pensioners, those looking for jobs and low paid workers.” TUC 09 - image by Clifford Harper

Condemning the “unprecedented onslaught on public services” which is predicted for after the general election, Mark told delegates that it is even more important to protect our public services in a recession.

He criticised the “pro-privatisation, pro-public services cuts” consensus of the major political parties and urged union members to advocate an alternative:

“The rich must be made to pay more taxes and our members must be supported to collect them.”

Peter Mandelson’s comments on the Radio 4 Today programme supporting efficiency savings were condemned by Mark who urged delegates to remain united.

“Privatisation, cuts and the politicians’ onslaught on our communities are not acceptable. The government needs to raise taxes, make the rich pay and we need to take action to make it happen.”

Defend our pensions

Speaking in support of “quality public sector pensions”, deputy general secretary Hugh Lanning told Congress that tax relief for the rich costs the British public £37.6 billion a year or £2.50 a day for every man, woman and child.

Highlighting our successful 2005 campaign to protect civil service pensions, Hugh called for the agreement that was reached to be honoured.

“Our willingness to take action in 2005 is what made the difference,” said Hugh. “We can do that again. We need to break the consensus that public sector pensions are expensive.

“Two hundred thousand civil servants have a pension of less than £5,000 a year and the average for PCS members is just £4,200. Low pay means most people can expect a small pension, not a gold-plated one as the media suggests.

“This is not just about PCS members; it’s about their families and their communities too. If we lose our pensions it is impossible to rebuild them. This is about the sort of society and welfare provision we want.”

Calling for solidarity and united action, Hugh told delegates: “Let’s mobilise and get ready to take action to defend our pensions.”

Work not dole

Speaking in support of motion 17 on “discrimination, recession and welfare reform”  Jane Aitchison, president for our Department for Work and Pensions group, told delegates the government’s current strategy for improving access to work for disabled people was wrong.

“It is based on a “sick note” Britain. It is based on an insulting strategy of cutting benefits to pitiful levels for those who can’t work and introducing the compulsion they dread rather than the support they need.”

Jane told delegates that the government urgently needed to rethink its policies in the light of rising dole queues and “dozens chasing every vacancy”.

Praising the joint union campaign to oppose the new welfare reform bill, Jane said she was proud of people’s hard work to protect vulnerable workers.

“In these difficult times the government needs to find ways that works: Jobcentre Plus works. It has consistently outperformed every private sector competitor in the field... In short we need to stop closing jobcentres and Remploy factories and start to re-open them.

"If the government continues along this path all that will happen is that dole queues will be swollen to record levels by the addition of over a million disabled workers.”

Jane called for the government to “stop listening to those who don’t know what they are talking about and start listening to those who do.”
 

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