The STUC will step up its campaign against
austerity, as delegates expressed their
real anger about the impact of the cuts
which has seen the biggest fall in living
standards on record.
The STUC will organise a day of action
for trade unions and community groups
working for social justice; alongside
co-ordination and support for unions taking
industrial action. There was a passionate
call for unions to participate in and
affiliate to the People’s Assembly
Against Austerity in Scotland and to campaign
for tax justice at a time when uncollected
tax and tax avoidance amounts to over
£120 billion.
In her first speech to Congress, UNISON’s
Helen Duddy told delegates that austerity
has destruction written all over it. “It
brought about splits in our communities
... it isolated our most vulnerable groups,”
Helen said. “First striking at the
workers by imposing pay freezes and cuts,
then it came around to target those that
need support most.”
Helen slammed the demonising of different
groups, the poor, the elderly, those needing
social housing - the blaming of the people
who are set to suffer most.
She told Congress that attacking the
welfare state to pay the deficit was not
the answer – that the deficit can
be funded by tackling tax dodgers who
evade paying their fair share.
“It’s all about having a
fairer society,” said Helen, “The
time has come to fight these cuts by the
greatest power this nation owns, the people
ourselves!”
