Date: Wednesday 6 May 2015

Poorer workers, poorer services: life in ConDem Inverness - UNISON report 

Poorer workers and poorer public services is the reality of life in ConDem Inverness - that is the damning conclusion of a survey by UNISON Scotland of members who live in the Inverness area.

UNISON have been publishing a series of reports across a range of sectors and across Scotland which show time and again that austerity is not working. Public service workers have taken the brunt of austerity cuts. They often struggle to pay the bills and are under constant stress at work. The story is the same. Public sector workers working harder and earning less.   

The results paint a damning picture of the reality of delivering public services and those who deliver them in Inverness area

• 62% report that they are worse off than they were four years ago.
• 47% report that they sometimes struggle to make ends meet
• 75% say their job has become harder in the last four years
• 73% say that the budget for their service has gone down
• 54% say that the quality of the public service they provide has gone down .

Dave Watson, UNISON Scottish Organiser said:

“If there is a recovery going on – it’s effects are not being felt by UNISON members who live in the Inverness area. The Conservative and Lib Dem coalition government has made the choice about how the financial crisis is tackled which has seen the wealth of the richest spiral while workers in public services struggle. It is clear that austerity economics isn’t working in Inverness any more than anywhere else. 

"We need investment in services and wage led growth in our economy and politicians who set their sights higher than poorer workers and poorer services.

"This is a public services election. If you care for them you need to get out and vote for them."

Contact
Dave Watson, UNISON Scottish Organiser 07958 122409
Danny Phillips, UNISON communications officer, on 0141 342 2877 / 07944 664110

Notes  to editor

UNISON is the biggest trade union in Scotland represents members in all aspects of public services, NHS, Local Government, Police and Fire,  Further and Higher Education, Utilities and the voluntary sector. This survey was conducted amongst UNISON members living in Inverness area

Full report can be read here  
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/
PoorerWorkersPoorerServices_LifeinConDemInverness_May2015.pdf

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