Unite is 'deadly serious' about halting cuts to voluntary sector
funding in Scotland
17th March 2009
When: Tuesday 17th March, 11am
Where: Scottish
parliament, outside the main entrance, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP
Unite members will today (Tuesday) gather outside the Scottish
parliament dressed in black and accompanied by a horse drawn
hearse, to mourn the loss of key jobs and services in Scotland’s
voluntary sector due to funding cuts.
They will warn that more losses are sure to follow, if
government does not act soon to implement a fairer funding system.
This action will be held jointly with Unison the other main union
representing voluntary sector workers in Scotland.
The demo will coincide with the launch of Unite’s shocking
'Death By a Thousand Cuts' report, which will form the basis of
Unite’s lobby of MSPs and evidence to the Public Petitions
Committee later in the day, when Unite will join with a range of
partners in calling for a framework of fairer funding for voluntary
sector organisations that deliver key public services.
The 'Death by a Thousand Cuts' report highlights the real costs
behind the funding cuts to voluntary sector organisations, as well
as calling for a framework for fairer funding. It is based on
responses to a consultation carried out across Unite’s membership
working in the sector. Unite has also circulated 10,000 condolence
cards to its members in the sector to send to the finance minister
John Swinney, calling on him to implement a fairer funding
framework, or face losing all that is good about the sector in
Scotland.
John Quigley, Unite Scottish regional secretary, said: “The
'Death by a Thousand Cuts' report is our way of giving a strong
voice to our members in the sector and ensuring that their message
is heard at the highest level. We want to expose Scotland’s
decision makers to the reality at the sharp end, for both workers
and service users, and the real human cost of these cuts, which are
seriously impacting on their lives.”
Unite senior regional organiser, and author of the report, Roz
Foyer, said: “Many of the comments from our members contained in
this report raise very serious issues about the way that cuts are
negatively impacting on key services to some of the most vulnerable
members of our society. Unite is clear that this climate of cuts
within the sector has become unsustainable. We believe that the pay
and conditions for workers in the sector has reached crisis point
and that standards of care are being adversely affected. Something
must be done to halt the erosion of these services - before it is
too late.
“Our campaign for fairer funding in the sector is aimed at
forcing the Scottish government, health boards and local
authorities to take responsibility for the pay and conditions of
employment of the workers that they contract to deliver these
services. They need to understand that quality costs; that
expecting low paid workers to subsidise services is not an option;
and that parity of pay with directly employed public service
workers should be implemented across the board, for all employees
contracted to deliver key public services.”
ENDS
For further information contact Roz Foyer on 07958 729 181 or
Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite Press Office 020 7420 8914 or 07980
224761
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