31 January 2014
Lobby against Council Cuts Thurs 13 Feb 08.30
- 09.30 City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh
Edinburgh Council plans to put through £36
million in cuts on 13 February. This is on top of
£90 million since 2011, and £175 million
since 2007. Services just cannot survive with this
kind of attack year on year.
We know the cuts are driven by Westminster. We
know that Holyrood has just passed these cuts on,
singling out local government for the lion's share.
But we want to hear our politicians standing up
for our local services, not just passing the cuts
on.
As UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:
"No school cleaner gambled billions
on the stock exchange - No home carer, no social
worker, no librarian. None of them created this
recession. Why should they be expected to pay for
it?"
Council services are about people. People provide
them and people rely on them. Every service is affected.
These cuts have a real human cost. A human cost
like...
• Elderly and disabled people paying more
for care
• Services for people with physical disabilities
facing funding cuts and reduced staffing
• People with learning disabilities being
forced to pay for the support they need to live
independently
• Class sizes rising and some head teachers
and classroom assistants losing their jobs
Jobs have been lost and will be lost. We
hope to avoid compulsory redundancies but what about
the council staff left behind?
• Workers expected to deliver more and more
with less people and less resources
• Cuts disguised as front line staff are
working at breaking point to deliver more for less
• More and more people crammed into fewer
buildings affecting morale and health and safety
• Chaotic reorganisations ignoring staff
knowledge and skills and service to the public
• Cuts to conditions and a pay freeze that
means workers' spending power has dropped by 16%
All this when local people and local businesses
need investment in public services to boost the
local economy for everyone.
Your union is urging you to turn out to protest
at the City Chambers from 08.30 on Thursday 13 February.
UNISON is urging the Council to publish a budget
that shows how services for the people of Edinburgh
could be saved if it were not for government cuts.
DON'T LET THE CUTS GO UNNOTICED. LET THE PUBLIC
KNOW WHAT THEY WILL MEAN FOR THEM.
See the unions' staff side response to
the budget at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/response/budget2014.html
