Public Works: we all need to do our bit
by Chris Bartter and Kate Ramsden
UNISON Scotland has launched its ‘Public Works’ campaign
with the message that public service cuts will increase
costs for ordinary families and will delay economic recovery.
‘Public Works’ is the Scottish arm of the union’s ‘Million
Voices for Change’ campaign and branches and members need
to play their part in getting the message over.
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"We need public services so that... whether
young or old, people can maintain some form of independence
at home, treated as an individual". Gail Coughlan,
Occupational Therapist, East Ayrshire Branch
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UNISON has warned that the headlong rush to cut and privatise
public services will lead to delays in coming out of recession.
It has produced a leaflet demonstrating the importance of
public services to everyone’s lives and pointing to the
huge costs that would fall on people if public services
were not available.
Matt Smith - UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said, “‘A
day in the life...’ follows an average woman through
her day and points out our dependence on public services
- from water and sewerage, through environmental health
and refuse collection, to education and health care. “It
points out that all of us rely on public services, not just
the most vulnerable, for whom they can be a lifeline.”
What can you do?
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"Public services matter to me because they
are a mark of our level of civilisation, cohesion
and compassion as a society." John Boyce,
Edinburgh
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Matt added, “We are keen to involve members in this campaign.
After all we are both the front-line providers of public
services and the users of public services. “Who knows their
importance and their value better that us?” “We are asking
you all to sign up individually to the “Million Voices”
campaign at national level.
“We would also like you to tell us what you do in your
job and why it is important. And tell us your own experiences
of using public services - how they have supported you and
your families.”
Average family gets £10k in public services
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"In times of need, people should be able to
turn to professional organisations which are able
to help them. By downsizing and restricting our Public
Services, the government are perpetuating the greed
and ill conceived ideas brought on to us by the financial
institutions. We need investment in public services,
not cuts." Strathclyde Police and Fire Branch
- has your branch signed up? www.unison.org.uk/million
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Affordable and value for money: Matt warned, “We
need to get across the message that if these services are
cut back or privatised the increased costs of paying for
them individually can only increase the cost burden on hard-pressed
families. “We estimate the average household gets more than
£10,000 a year in benefits and public services.
“Public delivery provides value for money through economies
of scale and stopping shareholders taking profits out of
the pot.
“A year’s domestic waste collection sourced privately would
cost around £2,500, and the average cost of a year’s education
outside the public sector in Scotland is around £8,200.”
Important for the economy
“But it is not just that public services are essential
for all of us. They also play a key part in the economic
well-being of our communities. Cuts in public sector jobs,
pay and pensions will only lead to less money being spent
to stimulate the economy, and if public services were cut
they would order and contract less with the private sector.
“Far from being the drain on the economy argued by those
who created the economic crisis, the public sector contracts
for supplies and services from the private sector - especially
important when private industry faces reduced order books.
A just and fairer society
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"I If ever there was a time to invest in public
services, it is now. Not only are public services
at the heart of a caring society, they form the key
for stimulating local economies and bringing us out
of the recession." John Stevenson - SiU Editor
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“In addition money spent in the economy by public service
staff will not be there if we accept the advice of the right
wing think tanks to cut jobs, pay and pensions. Now is the
time to build a fairer society based on social justice,
good jobs and quality public services. It is up to all of
us to highlight the importance of public services and to
get across the message that Public Works!”
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