Commenting on remarks made by Nigel Farage about workers employed at Durham County Council needing to look for “alternative careers”, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“This is not the US. Thankfully workers in the UK have laws to protect them from bad employers. And soon employees will get even more protection from unscrupulous bosses when the government’s new employment rights come in.
“Reform has consistently voted against these new measures that will make work more secure. So much for being on the side of ordinary working people.
“Rather than attacking hard-working council staff, Mr Farage should be focusing on his own job representing the people of Clacton. But judging by his voting and speaking record in the House of Commons, he’d clearly rather be making big bucks elsewhere.
“Unions are there to ensure no one can play fast and loose with the law. Any staff working for councils now controlled by Reform, and who aren’t yet members, should sign up so they can be protected too.
“Nigel Farage and his party’s new councillors have much to learn about local government. They’ll quickly discover there’s nothing left to cut and many authorities are balancing on the edge of the financial precipice.
“Most local authorities would love to be doing their core work, as Mr Farage says. But they simply don’t have the staff nor the resources to do even that.”
Notes to editors:
-UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contact:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
The article Reform councillors have much to learn about local government and its hard-working staff first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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