Join together and fight to protect public services and public service workers

#uLGC15 UNISON's Local Government Conference held in Glasgow from 15-16 June 2015, was all about the protection of public services and public service workers as delegates heard horror stories of the impact of the cuts on our members and on the people to whom they provide services.


Branch delegates,
Kate Ramsden and Ann Gray

We heard that huge numbers of our members are not paid the living wage and many are struggling to survive on low pay, insecure employment and zero hours contracts.

The effect of the cuts has meant that those in work are having to do more with less, affecting their work life balance with many going off with stress. Austerity has also had an impact on health and safety at work, and has had a huge impact on equalities with gains for women, black, disabled and LGBT workers being eroded daily. Young people have taken a terrible hit with unemployment higher amongst the 16-25 year olds that in any other age group.
There was a call for unity - for us all to join together and fight the ideologically driven austerity of the Tory Government, which is decimating public services and forcing more and more people into poverty.

None of the Scottish motions were prioritised and neither was our branch motion on pay. The only one of our branch to speak at this conference was Susan Kennedy who spoke on behalf of the Service Group Executive on dealing with violence in schools.

Zero tolerance, training and involving staff are key to dealing with violence in schoolsLocal Government Conference heard the problems of challenging behaviour in schools from the front line as two Scotland delegates brought their experience to the debate.