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Essex County The Battle for Public Services June 2010

 
 
The Battle for Public Services –
YOUR JOB, YOUR FUTURE is at risk!!!!
 
UNISON has been warning our members about the potential job cuts and pay freeze that will be coming at Essex County. As a result of the Transformation Project and the recent Government Budget announcements we are now likely to see:
 
·         Partnerships and outsourcing
·          
·         Job losses at Essex County
·          
·         Fewer staff directly employed
·          
·         Attacks on Terms and Conditions
·          
·         A two year pay freeze for employees earning more than £21,000
 
·         A 25% cut in public sector funding
 
The Essex County Transformation Project will see local services privatised or shared with other public sector organisations.
Your jobs and terms and conditions are at risk!
 
While discussions regarding proposals for reductions in staff and/or conditions of service have taken place behind closed doors, Councillors have awarded themselves a 6.1% payrise and £41,000 has been spent on lunches, £7,000 on biscuits and £15,000 on tea and coffee!
 
The UNISON Essex County Branch has organised several meetings around the County to discuss how these issues will affect you! These meetings will be open to UNISON members and non-members. Please come along and find out how you can get involved.
 
This budget signals that the battle for Britain’s public services has begun. Public sector workers will be shocked and angry that they are singled out as victims of job cuts and pay freezes.
 
Freezing public sector pay when inflation is running at 5.1% and VAT is going up will mean a real cut in living standards for millions of ordinary workers and their families - already struggling to pay rising bills.
 
Nurses, social workers, midwives, paramedics, police community support officers, housing and environmental officers who provide vital public services, are amongst those who will be hit hardest by the two year pay freeze. And for local government workers this comes on top of this year’s freeze.
 
A 25% cut in departmental public spending will decimate our public services. In our opinion the budget will do nothing to restore confidence or kick-start the recovery, but will push local economies into the ground, raising the spectre of breadline Britain.

Throwing tens of thousands of public sector workers on the dole will cost the country billions in lost tax revenue as well as piling billions onto the benefits bill.  Vital services that the poor, the sick and the vulnerable rely on, are in the firing line.
 
Freezing council tax is a useless gesture saving people pennies while on the other hand cutting tens of millions from council budgets, threatening jobs, losing services and undermining the local economy.

Raising VAT affects the poor the most as they spend a higher proportion of their meagre incomes on goods and services.

We need you to get involved.
Please attend one of the meetings listed
to find out more and how you can help:
 
Contact Details: Noel Devlin, Regional Officer, 01245-608927

                              UNISON Branch Office 01245- 354044

MEETING DATES
 
 
DATE                                                VENUE                                                         TIME
 
ThursThursday 1st July                         Room 104, Stanwell House                       12.00pm - 1.00pm
Stanwell Street, Colchester                       1.00pm – 2.00pm
CO2 7DL
 
 
Fr2nd Friday 2ndJuly                               Large Conference Room                           12.00pm - 1.00pm
                                                Magnet House, Clacton-on-Sea               1.00pm - 2.00pm
                                                CO15 1JD
 
 
TuesTuesday 6th July                            Conference Room, Epping Social           12.00pm - 1.00pm
                                                Care, St. Johns Road. Epping                   1.00pm - 2.00pm
                                                CM16 5EB
 
 
FridaFriday  9th July                                Large Upstairs Conference Room                        12.00pm - 1.00pm
                                                Ely House, Ely Way, Basildon                   1.00pm - 2.00pm
                                                SS14 2BQ
 
 
MondMonday 12th July                          Lower Hall, Baptist Church                                    12.00pm - 1.00pm
                                                Victoria Road South                                                1.00pm - 2.00pm
                                                Chelmsford
 
 
FridaFriday 16th July                              Family Room, 37 Fairycroft Road             12.00pm - 1.00pm
                                                Saffron Walden, CB10 1ND                      1.00pm - 2.00pm
 
 
ThursThursday 22nd July                       Large Conference Room                           12.00pm - 1.00pm
                                                         Goodman House, Station Approach        1.00pm - 2.00pm
                                                Harlow.
                                           Please note: we have been advised
                                           that members should not rely on sat.
                                           nav. as this frequently takes people
                                           to the wrong place. Goodman House

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