UNISON. Scotland's biggest and liveliest trade union, representing members delivering public and related services.
Showing posts with label There is an Alternative conference 4 Sept 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label There is an Alternative conference 4 Sept 2010. Show all posts
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Tell a Pal There is a Better Way
Friday, 24 September 2010
There IS an alternative - UNISON Scotland strategy conference 4 September 2010 - video
There IS an alternative: Dave Prentis, Mike Kirby and participants at UNISON Scotland's strategy conference 4 September 2010
See also:
unison-scotland.blogspot.com/2010/09/weve-got-argument-weve-got-alternatives.html
www.unison-scotland/publicworks
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Thursday, 9 September 2010
UNISON Scotland Briefing for MSPs on Independent Budget Review
9 September 2010
Ahead of a debate on the Independent Budget Review in the Scottish Parliament this morning, UNISON Scotland has published a Briefing for MSPs on our website www.unison-scotland.org.uk
"The IBR report does not address the disastrous consequences of spending cuts for Scotland. Whilst some of the factual analysis is helpful, the solutions are largely a rather tired rehash of right wing economic orthodoxy. There is an alternative, and UNISON is calling on MSPs to champion a better way forward for Scotland."
Briefing: Key Points
See full briefing here: Briefing for MSPs
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Ahead of a debate on the Independent Budget Review in the Scottish Parliament this morning, UNISON Scotland has published a Briefing for MSPs on our website www.unison-scotland.org.uk
"The IBR report does not address the disastrous consequences of spending cuts for Scotland. Whilst some of the factual analysis is helpful, the solutions are largely a rather tired rehash of right wing economic orthodoxy. There is an alternative, and UNISON is calling on MSPs to champion a better way forward for Scotland."
Briefing: Key Points
- The financial projections, whilst disastrous for public services and the economy, actually understate the scale of cuts in local services.
- There is a credible economic alternative to cuts in public spending.
- The privatisation of Scottish Water would contribute nothing to the capital budget; result in higher bills to the charge payer and transfer control of Scotland’s greatest asset abroad.
- Outsourcing will cost more and break up integrated service delivery.
- Shared services will make, at best, only a long term contribution to cost savings.
- It is unfair to ask public service workers to pay for the failure of private corporate folly through pay cuts and reduced pensions.
- Universal provision is more efficient and contributes to a better performing more equal society.
- Cuts at this level and at this time in the economic cycle, will damage the economy and result in huge job cuts in the private as well as the public sector.
- There is a better way! At UNISON Public Works and the STUC Better Way websites.
See full briefing here: Briefing for MSPs
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Friday, 3 September 2010
Prentis warns Scotland’s political leaders against slashing public services based on ‘ice cream van economics’
Date: 3 Sept 10
He said today that the report by the so-called three wise men painted a vision of a future “where services are privatised or charged for, if they are there at all” and where 35-60,000 jobs are cut.
Dave added: “I don’t want to be too harsh on these three not very wise men. They were asked to deliver a package of cuts. That’s what they have done.
“A proper review of the budget would have started by looking at the services we need, then working out how you raise the money to pay for them.
“You don’t look at a Government’s finances and say ‘we’ve got this much, what can we get for it?’
“That’s what kids do at an ice cream van. We should be able to expect better from experts looking at a country’s finances.”
UNISON Scotland’s ‘There is an alternative’ conference tomorrow will see more than 200 union and community activists from around the country share experiences about threats to local services and discuss how to develop the union’s Public Works campaign.
Keynote speaker Stephen Boyd, STUC assistant secretary, will deliver an economic analysis that demonstrates that there is an alternative to the cuts and privatisation agenda.
Dave added: “I have a message for the Scottish Government. The Independent Budget Review is just a tartan version of the Tory plan for the rest of the UK. It’s a plan that the Scottish people rejected, overwhelmingly, at the ballot box only a few months ago.
“We’ll be able to judge the truth of how well Alex Salmond, or the other party leaders, stand up for Scotland by how much distance they put between themselves and this plan to devastate the country’s public services.”
ENDS
Details of the conference are on UNISON Scotland’s website at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/04sep/index.html
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| UPDATE: Dave Prentis speaking at 'There is an alternative' conference Saturday 4 September |
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis will tomorrow (Saturday) warn Scottish politicians to ignore the ‘ice cream van economics’ of the recent Independent Budget Review report.
He will tell a major conference in Glasgow that the country’s political leaders will be judged on how far they distance themselves from the July report and fight to protect the services that people rely on.
Dave added: “I don’t want to be too harsh on these three not very wise men. They were asked to deliver a package of cuts. That’s what they have done.
“A proper review of the budget would have started by looking at the services we need, then working out how you raise the money to pay for them.
“You don’t look at a Government’s finances and say ‘we’ve got this much, what can we get for it?’
“That’s what kids do at an ice cream van. We should be able to expect better from experts looking at a country’s finances.”
UNISON Scotland’s ‘There is an alternative’ conference tomorrow will see more than 200 union and community activists from around the country share experiences about threats to local services and discuss how to develop the union’s Public Works campaign.
Keynote speaker Stephen Boyd, STUC assistant secretary, will deliver an economic analysis that demonstrates that there is an alternative to the cuts and privatisation agenda.
Dave added: “I have a message for the Scottish Government. The Independent Budget Review is just a tartan version of the Tory plan for the rest of the UK. It’s a plan that the Scottish people rejected, overwhelmingly, at the ballot box only a few months ago.
“We’ll be able to judge the truth of how well Alex Salmond, or the other party leaders, stand up for Scotland by how much distance they put between themselves and this plan to devastate the country’s public services.”
ENDS
Details of the conference are on UNISON Scotland’s website at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/04sep/index.html
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Monday, 16 August 2010
UNISON welcomes call for end to council tax freeze
UNISON Scotland today welcomed the call from Glasgow city council leader Gordon Matheson for an end to the council tax freeze.
Scottish Organiser Dave Watson said that continuing the freeze will add to the scale of damaging cuts to services around the country.
Dave said: “We welcome the warning from Gordon Matheson about an end to the council tax freeze being needed to offset what he described as ‘some of the more brutal cuts’.
“Local authorities should be able to raise funds through the council tax. Using the tax system is much fairer than raising charges for services.
“Charges hit those on low incomes hardest and the council tax freeze benefits the wealthy disproportionately.
“However, this, and making the council tax fairer, is just part of our agenda to protect public services. UNISON’s ‘Public Works’ campaign will be stepped up in the coming months, demonstrating how Scotland can afford quality public services.”
UNISON activists will be meeting with other trade unions and community groups from around Scotland next month for the union’s ‘There is an alternative’ conference.
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis and STUC Assistant Secretary Stephen Boyd will speak at the public services strategy conference on 4 September in Glasgow.
Conference workshops will look at how fair taxation and a Living Wage can support services and at the alternatives to major cuts and job losses.
The conference is one of a series of autumn union events including a European Trade Union Confederation Day of Action in September and an STUC demonstration in October.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
1. The ‘There is an Alternative’ conference takes place at the Thistle Hotel, Cambridge Street, Glasgow from 11am-3.30pm on Saturday 4 September.
2. Details of the conference are on UNISON Scotland’s website at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/04sep/04Sep_flyerA5.pdf
.
Scottish Organiser Dave Watson said that continuing the freeze will add to the scale of damaging cuts to services around the country.
Dave said: “We welcome the warning from Gordon Matheson about an end to the council tax freeze being needed to offset what he described as ‘some of the more brutal cuts’.
“Local authorities should be able to raise funds through the council tax. Using the tax system is much fairer than raising charges for services.
“Charges hit those on low incomes hardest and the council tax freeze benefits the wealthy disproportionately.
“However, this, and making the council tax fairer, is just part of our agenda to protect public services. UNISON’s ‘Public Works’ campaign will be stepped up in the coming months, demonstrating how Scotland can afford quality public services.”
UNISON activists will be meeting with other trade unions and community groups from around Scotland next month for the union’s ‘There is an alternative’ conference.
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis and STUC Assistant Secretary Stephen Boyd will speak at the public services strategy conference on 4 September in Glasgow.
Conference workshops will look at how fair taxation and a Living Wage can support services and at the alternatives to major cuts and job losses.
The conference is one of a series of autumn union events including a European Trade Union Confederation Day of Action in September and an STUC demonstration in October.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
1. The ‘There is an Alternative’ conference takes place at the Thistle Hotel, Cambridge Street, Glasgow from 11am-3.30pm on Saturday 4 September.
2. Details of the conference are on UNISON Scotland’s website at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/04sep/04Sep_flyerA5.pdf
.
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