Public services key to Scottish elections

by Chris Bartter

UNISON has launched its Public Services manifesto for the run up to the 2007 Scottish Elections in front of Scottish Ministers and MSPs at a function in Edinburgh.

The union will base its campaigning work in the run up to the 2007 elections on this document - called We've been revitalising our public services.

General Secretary Dave Prentis, who came to Scotland to launch the manifesto, said that Scotland had been successfully delivering its own model of public services, and should continue to base services on collaboration and co-operation - rejecting calls to introduce competition.

He contrasted this with the rhetoric of choice coming out of Westminster and urged the Scottish Executive and UNISON to continue and improve the levels of discussion and partnership. He outlined the five principles UNISON proposed as the basis for public services that would make Scotland's services the envy of the world. These were

• Democracy
• Investment
• Fairness
• Excellence
• Partnership.

Dave said, "We believe that the ethos of public service is different from that of the market. Our members are the experts who can frame, propose and deliver real change.

"The principles laid out today can provide the basis for public services the world will look to as an example."

Minister for Health, Andy Kerr MSP also spoke at the launch. He also committed himself to delivering Scottish solutions to the issues affecting Scottish Public services. The manifesto is timed to have the maximum impact as political parties discuss their own manifestos in the run up to the campaign, and UNISON is planning to advocate its policies to parties across the political spectrum.

"We are not a union that simply preaches to the converted," Dave said, "In the run-up to the election we want to talk to ALL who are committed to the delivery of world class public services. We don't want to comment on someone else's policies, we want to design them."

UNISON has been at the forefront of trade union campaigning, especially at election times, and in previous elections has produced a manifesto, campaigned nationally and locally on UNISON policies and advertised in the press and on billboards.

he Manifesto - We have been Revitalising our Public Services - is also available on the UNISONScotland website at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/revitalise

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