UNISON promises to 'smash' public sector pay freeze

UNISON is threatening to strike if the Government does not put an end to pay freezes in the public sector, claiming this puts any chance of economic recovery ‘in the dustbin’.

Speaking at UNISON’s national conference, general secretary Dave Prentis said the issue of pay would be UNISON’s ‘battleground’ after a new survey showed ‘a depressing glimpse of bread-line Britain’.

Prentis said: ‘We are putting the Government on notice. Our demand is for decent pay. If we cannot win through negotiation we will fight to win it through strike action. We will smash the pay  freeze.

’Putting pay on ice has been devastating for public sector workers and their families. It cannot go on and we will not let it go on. They are scared of spending in shops and businesses and this is not only misery for families, but also condemns our chances of economic recovery to the dustbin.’

Prentis also said the public had turned against the Government’s austerity plan, with the financial crisis providing a ‘smokescreen’ for destroying public services and the welfare state.

Read Prentis’ speech here.