Hundreds of people from Fife and Tayside are expected to travel to London to protest at government cuts in March in what is claimed will be the biggest public demonstration since before the Iraq war.
The Trades Union Congress has announced plans for a “day of action” in London on March 26.
Although England has borne the brunt of spending cuts so far, Mike Arnott, secretary of Dundee Trades Union Council, said there is strong public opposition to the planned cuts.
He said, “We’ll be mobilising in big numbers. As numbers go this will be the biggest protest since 2003 and the Iraq war.”
He said public anger was growing as the scale of the coalition government’s cuts becomes apparent.
“I think people believe they are starting to reveal themselves now and are beginning to understand how these cuts will affect people,” he said.
“It’s not hit Scotland too badly yet but it’s pretty fierce down south.
“Services are being decimated compulsory job losses, libraries closed and it will come here too.”
Officials from the biggest trade unions met in London yesterday to plan a coordinated response to government cutbacks.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has said job losses and pay and pension cuts could lead to mass industrial action.
He said, “The government agenda is doing huge damage to the economy and public services. The TUC is mounting a wide campaign against these mistaken policies.
“Today’s meeting was to consider the appropriate industrial response to the volatile cocktail of issues that face union members across the public sector the pay freeze, job cuts and attacks on pensions.Attacks”No one is talking about a general strike, but of course these attacks on our members could well give rise to industrial action around specific disputes.
“Today’s meeting showed a clear determination for unions to work together on industrial issues including, as a last resort, industrial action when members support it,” said Mr Barber.
“The TUC will step up co-ordinating the industrial work of unions. There will be monthly meetings of all the TUC’s public sector unions in the Public Services Liaison Group, and the TUC’s General Council will consider at each of its meetings a report of what is happening across the whole economy.”
He said Chancellor George Osborne had agreed to hold talks on the future of public sector pensions and given up trying to push through changes in March’s Budget.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said half a million of his members faced losing their jobs and many workers were being hit by a pay freeze and the prospect of worse pensions.
He warned workers would have “no choice” but to take action if the cuts went ahead, especially on pensions.
“We have agreed to co-ordinate all our negotiations and discussions through the TUC,” he said.
“We will work together to fight these cuts, because otherwise we will see hundreds of thousands of workers made unemployed, services decimated and even the NHS privatised.”
Bob Crow, leader of the RMT union, said, “Today we have sent out a clear message to the ConDem Government that there is real unity of purpose among trade unions as we mobilise to fight back against the most savage assault on jobs, wages, public services and pensions in decades.
“The harsh realities of pay freezes, rocketing living costs, job losses and stagflation are biting the length and breadth of Britain and communities are fighting back, with organised labour leading from the front.
“Meanwhile, down in the City, it’s party time as £7 billion in bonuses is sloshing around the bars and boardrooms.
“There is no way nurses and others should be hit while those who created this crisis are laughing all the way to the bank.”