Why I support UNISON
The reason I was on the picket lines and support Unison in their demands for a 6% wage rise, is because it is fair. Fair to ensure that some of the most poorly paid workers in North Somerset receive a living wage, and fair that the people who work as teaching assistants, as care assistants, as park keepers, street cleaners and as refuse collectors, recycling staff and much more, are treated fairly and respected in our society.
The Labour Government has seen the difference between the poorest paid and the most highly paid widen over the last ten years, is this fair or sensible? The Tories under Thatcher famously said “there is no such thing as society” well I cannot take that view. And in a time when petrol prices are up by 22%, bread is up by 9%, milk is up by 17% and mortgages are up by 8%, we have a duty to ensure that those who work to make society work, are protected, encouraged and congratulated for the work they do.
In economic terms the pay demand would across the nation amount to £50 million. In the great scheme of things this is not unaffordable. For those on the highest wages there is a need to hold back on pay increases if inflation is to be kept in check, and it is perhaps right to remember that those that do get well paid receive this as a privilege and not a right. Society Does Exist!
Posted by Brian at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments
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