ON October 20, the Chancellor will set out the details of the coalition’s spending plans for the next three years in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). We know it will contain savage cuts that will not only hit vital services but threaten the fragile economic recovery.
The event will kick off with a rally in Westminster Central Hall at 12.30pm (doors 12.15pm). The main hall holds more than 2000 people and we want to see it filled with members, activists and service users from across the country. The rally will open with TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and close with Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary and chair of the TUC’s Public Services Liaison Group. Other speakers will be drawn from civil society organisations and campaign groups, as well as the front-line providers and users of public services.
Following the maxim that ‘all politics is local’ we want members lobbying to use as much local information as possible and to link to campaigns against cuts in your workplace and/or where you live.
The Spending Review announcement on 20th October represents a key moment for the Coalition Government when the Chancellor announces the overall public service budgets for the next three years (2011/12 to 2013/14). Cuts are already hitting public services hard after the emergency Budget in June this year. UNISON, through its Million Voices campaign, and the TUC have been campaigning hard in the run up to the Spending Review to make the case for valuable public services, protecting the most vulnerable, tax raising alternatives to cuts (such as the Robin Hood Tax) and the risk of a double dip recession.
UNISON members are triple stakeholders as public service workers, taxpayers and users of public services. We need as many members as possible to attend the lobby (or branch/ regional events) and to explain to their MP how they and service users are affected by the cuts. Please contact Jenny Mason on j.mason@unison.co.uk is you are able to attend the lobby.
Please follow this link for information on how to get involved in the lobby:
http://unison.org.uk/ southeast/ pages_view.asp?did=11813
Please follow this link for TUC information on the lobby:
http://unison.org.uk/ southeast/ pages_view.asp?did=11813
Thanks for all your help and hard work so far– lets try and keep the momentum going!
Warm regards
Jenny Mason
