Unite and TUC take fight for public services to Liberal Democrat
conference
20 September 2010
Fringe
meeting
Dealing with the deficit: there is a better way,
Tuesday 21 September 2010, 1pm-2pm
Pan Am Bar, Britannia Pavilion Albert Dock, Liverpool L3
4AE
With unions committed to the broadest and strongest coalition to
stop government cuts unravelling public services, the country's
biggest union, Unite, and the TUC - the umbrella body for over six
million trade union members in the UK - are taking the battle to
the heart of the Lib Dem's conference.
A joint fringe meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, 21st September) will
underline the massive, coordinated effort the union movement is set
to undertake in the days leading up to the comprehensive spending
review on October 20th with the aim of forcing the government to
think again about cutting fast and deep into public spending.
Public service workers and users will join the meeting to ask
why they must make heavy sacrifices for a recession not of their
making. The TUC will also release their latest research, which will
show how cuts will hit the north west region.
Speaking at the fringe will be:
- Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary for public services
at Unite, the country's biggest union, representing some 250,000
members right across the public sector, from hospitals to the MoD.
At last week's Congress, Gail Cartmail warned that the defence of
jobs, pensions and services from the savagery of cuts is set to be
the "fight of our lives."
- Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, the umbrella body
of the UK's six million plus trade union members.
- Professor Kate Pickett, professor of Epidemiology at the
University of York and co-author of The Spirit Level, the
critically-acclaimed book which shows how tackling income
inequalities is key to addressing health inequalities.
- Councillor Richard Kemp, a Lib Dem councillor in Liverpool and
deputy chair of the Local Government Association.
- Imran Hussain, Child Poverty Action Group, the charity
campaigning for a better deal for low income families and the
eradication of child poverty in the UK.
The event will be chaired by Larry Neild, Liverpool broadcaster and
visiting lecturer at John Moores University.
ENDS
Media wishing to attend the fringe are asked to contact Liane
Groves on 07793 661 657 or Shaun Noble on 07768 693 940
