Date: Weds 3 February

2010 Budget will fail to deliver for Scotland - UNISON

UNISON, Scotland's largest public service union, said today that - despite government claims - damaging cuts in services were being planned by Scotland's authorities, and the Scottish budget would fail to meet the needs of the Scottish people and was likely to threaten the economic recovery.

Matt Smith, UNISON's Scottish Secretary said "The budget will not cover the increased demand that Scottish people now make on their services, nor will it cover the increased costs. That means cuts in services, cuts in jobs and cuts in the amount that public authorities pump into the economy. It looks like a triple whammy for the people of Scotland."

"This crisis was not caused by the public sector and we know that public services work, yet some politicians and media commentators seem to think it axiomatic that our services and those who deliver them should pay for the irresponsibility of our private sector banks. As part of our Public Works campaign, UNISON has produced an alternative budget that shows how the cost of bailing out the country's financial sector can be met without cutting the vital services people depend on"

ENDS

Note for editors: UNISON's Public works campaign is part of the union's UK million voices for change campaign. It will be formally launched by UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis at a rally in Glasgow on Saturday 6 February. Details at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/

UNISON's Alternative Budget can be found at http://www.unison.org.uk/million/resources/Alternative_Budget.pdf

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