Unison Calls Upon Leicester’s Labour Council to Set a Legal “No Cuts” Budget

Leicester is a city dominated by Labour, with a Lib-Dem/Tory opposition group composed of just two councillors. However, like all other Labour Council’s up and down the country our city has been busy passing on Tory cuts with gusto (and crocodile tears).

In the latest phase of cuts (“savings”) the axe is being swung down upon welfare services, youth services, and mental health services. This is not to mention the closure of the last remaining Council-run elderly care home, with has been accompanied by the sacking of 48 carers.

The Council are presently in the process of slashing £6 million from the wages of Council workers. Labour are thus trying to force “savings” down their workers throats. The recommended medicine for Council employees is to accept three days unpaid leave over the Christmas period, say goodbye to hard-won sick pay, pay protection and redundancy entitlements, and accept the loss of premium payments for unsocial working hours.

Unison members reject outright this latest attack on their pay and conditions, and now, for the first time ever, Unison’s city branch have demanded that our Labour Council do everything in their power to investigate setting a legal “no cuts” budget. The union recognises that setting such a budget would safeguard the pay and conditions of Unison members, but also prevent the ongoing degradation of local services.

The local Trades Union Council have already thrown their support behind Unison’s fighting proposal, and all Leicester’s Labour councillors have been emailed by both Unison and GMB to see if they can help. In the meantime, the Trades Council has resolved to…

•    Contact local Labour councillors and union branches to request their official backing for Unison City Branch’s “no cuts” proposal; and then to
•    Work towards co-hosting a public meeting in the near future to discuss how local service cuts can be fought.

Now let’s just hope that some of our city’s Labour councillors will be prepared to work alongside Leicester’s trade unions and community groups in at least exploring whether it is legally possible for our Council to resist Tory austerity!

JOIN THE ANTI-CUTS LOBBY OF LEICESTER’S LABOUR COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22 FROM 4PM ONWARDS AT TOWN HALL SQUARE.