Unions and politicians rally to fight Fife job cuts
Trade union members were fired up to fight cuts as a campaign to save public sector jobs and pensions was launched in Kirkcaldy.
- By Aileen Robertson
- Published in the Courier : 25.04.11
- Published online : 25.04.11 @ 03.36pm
Representatives of Unison, the GMB, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), teaching union EIS and Kirkcaldy and District Trades Union Council marched from the Town House to Beveridge Park in protest at public sector job losses affecting public sector employees such as home carers, school cleaning and catering staff, classroom assistants and college tutors.
Unison Fife branch secretary Linda Erskine said, "At the end of the Fife cuts, 3500 people will be made redundant or pensioned off and that will have a huge impact on the local economy.
"We're not stupid. I've been in this a long time and we've not had this level of cuts before. It's as if they're trying to punish the public sector for something that is not the public sector's fault."
Despite the drizzle, campaigners stayed on for speeches in the park, where stalls and children's activities had been set up.
STUC deputy general secretary Dave Moxham told the crowd, "Down south we have a government that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. They say we can't afford dignity and can't afford hope, but I say we can afford dignity and all we need to do is tax people appropriately."
Wilma Brown, secretary of Unison's health branch in Fife, said the cuts could mean people waiting longer for operations.
"The governments at Westminster or Holyrood will tell you that health is OK, that it's protected, ring-fenced, but don't you believe it. There's no doubt efficiency savings were necessary but now there's nothing left."
She said any further cuts would hit services, hospital staff were already "working to the wire," and added, "We won't stand by and let them destroy our services, we won't let them tell us there are no alternatives."
Continued...
07.32pm - 25.04.2011 Frances - Glenrothes, Scotland Report This
Gordon Brown turns up to attack the cuts which are partly neccessary becuase of his legacy... you couldn't make it up! And there would be no custs if Labour had got back into power? Get real!
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