Back to main newsGlasgow Anti-Cuts Meeting organised by Glasgow Unison branch - planned cuts expected to be around £30 million.
Thu 28 Jan 2010
Author: Marc LivingstoneAn Glasgow Anti-Cuts Meeting organised by Glasgow Unison branch was attended by 80 activists on Saturday.
Mike Kirby Unison Scottish Convener began by placing the meeting within the context of the Glasgow City Council budget meeting this coming Thursday, after which we will find out the extent of the planned cuts, expected to be around £30 million.
Brian Smith Glasgow Unison branch secretary said none of the mainstream parties have said that they will oppose the cuts, but Smith said that UNISON would support any politician who did so. He stressed the need to engage with local communities in the campaign.
Smith spelled out the reality of the cuts programme: closing swimming pools, libraries, attacking home care, services to the disabled, cuts in support in the guise of “personalization”. Three learning disability centres were to be closed, to be replaced with so-called “community based models”.
Community and voluntary sector grants are likely to be cut by 20%, with 600 jobs in this area would going. Councils would lose 15% of their income until 2013, and up to 20,000 jobs would go in the whole of Scotland.
This is why the Campaign to Defend Glasgow Services was being launched. The first event will be the lobby outside City Chambers on Thursday from 12.15 until 1.30pm
Jane Godrich was introduced with reference to the PCS motion at the STUC for a Public Services Chapter which had been supported by UNISON. The main issue for PCS members, (especially in the DWP) was privatization, and the four main parties had all come out in support of privatization. Godrich said that it was crucial that the recession was not used as an excuse to extend privatization. She concluded by saying that TUs working with community groups could be a really powerful weapon against the cuts, as such an alliance would unite both service users and providers and therefore reflect the interests of both groups.
Alan Gow said that once people get involved in action, they start to bring out their skills, and realize their potential to bring about change. He said that it was important to link community issues with the political process.
Tommy Morrison said the latest cuts in his area were just the latest development in an ongoing process of cuts, £40 million worth in the last fifteen years, and a further£24 million in the next three years, ongoing voluntary redundancies and early retirements, with workers being forced to take on new responsibilities and duties. The latest proposals would involved stopping all community work, closing a day centre, a children’s home, and two elderly residential homes.
Morrison said that such arguments had to be resisted and that the spirit of the Clydeside UCS work-in had to be rekindled. Money could be found for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, renewing Trident, and the unwanted ID card scheme. What was lacking was the political will for a left alternative. As we entered a prolonged period of struggle, Morrison said that there would need to be a Scotland wide response to the cuts.
A steering committee was elected made up of trade unionists and community activists.
Marc Livingstone
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