Spread the Word and Tell a Pal With thanks to East Midlands Region and City of Edinburgh Branch

1. Spread the Wordand Tell a Pal With thanks to East Midlands Region and City of Edinburgh Branch

2. Challenges we face from the Coalition Government are fundamental:- • Cuts and privatisation. Ideological opposition to public services • Co-ordinated lobby to cut pay and pensions • Concerted plans to undermine trade union rights and organisation. • Explicit rolling back of the welfare state. • Strategy designed to make changes irreversible Spread the word

3. UNISON’s Key Messages • Cuts driven by ideology not economics • We all need public services – the economy needs public services – we can afford public services if everyone pays their fair share. • The 1000 richest people are worth £330 billion pounds and their wealth has increased by 30% in the last year. £330bn is enough to clear the deficit - twice over. Spread the word

4. UNISON’s Key Messages • Nothing inevitable about cuts – they do not make economic sense • Economy depends on healthy public sector – cuts risk a double dip recession • For every £1 earned by public service worker 70p goes back into local economy Spread the word

5. UNISON’s Key Messages • No private/public divide. Private sector depends on public sector contracts. For every 1 public sector job lost, at least 1 lost in private sector. • Cuts hit the poorest far more than the rich – we are not‘all in this together’ The poorest families will be hit by government cuts FIVE times worse than top earners. • After war deficit at least three times (at peak 5 times) higher yet we built the NHS and the Welfare State Spread the word

6. Key Messages • ukpublicspending.co.uk

7. What do the experts say? • ALL of the G20 countries are dealing with the recession through investment – except Britain and Argentina • Most mainstream economists argue for postponing cuts to deficit until a robust recovery begins • Plan to return to surplus by 2015 is ‘pointless’ especially when it could cost a million jobs Spread the word

8. Economists who previously predicted the crash are saying the cuts will damage the economy…….. • In 2008 Prof David Blanchflower said “something horrible” was going to happen with the economy. Of the Budget he says: • “this unnecessary and dangerous budget will push the economy back into recession.” • In October 2006 Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz said there would be a crash “ within 24 months.” Now he says : • “we're now looking at a long, hard, slow recovery…. if everybody cuts back at the same time.” • Nobel prize winner Paul Krugman (who also predicted the crash) recently said: • “Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered. How hard is that to understand?” Spread the word

9. There is an alternative – raise income • Robin Hood Tax on the banks = £30bn • Airline Duty = £3bn • Tax Treatment of Pension contributions for the wealthy = £5bn • Deal with tax avoidance = £33bn • 25% of top companies pay no Corporation Tax at all but should be paying around £285m (Google £1.6bn = 0 – Arcadia Phillip Green £1.2bn = 0) • A one off 20% tax on the richest 10% would give £800bn! (Greg Philo guardian.co.uk, Sunday 15 August 2010) • And finally, when the economy picks up tax receipts will increase by well over £60bn • The money is there – it’s just in the wrong hands! Spread the word

10. Key campaigning tasks - mythbusting:- • Survey: Most members believe there is waste in public services • Half believe huge cuts needed because of national debt • It is likely many members believe pay restraint needed because of financial situation Spread the word

11. Key campaigning tasks – organising and recruiting:- • While membership levels holding, density not good enough • Lack of activists and lack of engagement/ involvement • Diffuse campaigning • ConDems winning the propaganda war? Spread the word

12. What can we do? • Recruit • Organise and Educate • Involve Spread the word

13. Recruit • Consider recruitment in everything we do • Essential to increase membership and density • Increases our influence and effectiveness Spread the word

14. Organise and educate • Get key messages out to members and the general public • Challenge the Condem myths • Publicise UNISON’s alternative budget • Respond to press and media distortions, especially in the local media • Lobby elected members and MPs • Build public service alliances at local level Spread the word

15. Involve • Get members involved in campaigns/action • Getting stewards involved – less time at meetings, more for organising • Give them the tools and the support to take forward the key messages • Build towards national days of action Spread the word