The chancellor pretends that he has to make difficult financial choices. He told the British public that while he felt for British households facing a cost of living crisis, he does not have the power or the money to help them. But this is fake news.
The truth of the matter is that the only difficult financial choices being made are those being made by ordinary working people – workers unable to afford their commute, families worrying about how to buy their weekly food shop, pensioners unable to heat their homes, parents unable to return to work because their childcare costs are too high.
The truth is that the chancellor had the power to help those people who are struggling in today’s spring statement, and the economic forecasts showed that he had the financial wriggle room to be able to afford widespread relief too.
Instead, he chose to tinker around the edges of the living standards crisis. The growing gulf between wages and prices mean millions who were hoping for a lifeline today have been left marooned.
Public sector workers listening to today’s spring statement will be justifiably angry. Their service and hard work saw this country through the past two years of the pandemic. Their reward is yet another real-terms pay cut and more broken promises from the chancellor.
There was no mention of public services from the dispatch box today, and nothing announced for public service workers. Despite promising the pay freeze would end last October, the funding needed to deliver this promise in the face of record inflation was nowhere to be seen. Instead, public sector workers could see their gross salaries reduced by about £1,750 in real terms.
This is no way to treat key workers who are still at the heart of the fight against the pandemic.
This is a problem that affects everybody. Many public service workers won’t hang around. Care, health, school and council staff will jump ship for calmer waters where better pay rates can help shield them from the growing prices storm.
Falling pay means there won’t be the staff to provide the essential services entire communities rely on, and consumer spending will come to a standstill unless people’s wages are enough to see them through the gathering storm.
Meanwhile, the measures announced barely touch the sides of the living standards crisis everybody is facing. Cutting fuel duty by a few pence won’t end the financial pain our members are feeling at the pumps. Less affluent households are being driven off the road, while the wealthiest drivers stand to benefit most.
Nor will cheaper solar panels pay the bills or put food on the table for those families having to choose between heating and eating. Households struggling to pay their energy bills can’t afford to buy new solar panels so will not benefit from the cut to VAT.
Promises to cut taxes in the future won’t cut the mustard with families living a financial hell today, and his proposals continue to shift the burden of taxation from the wealthy to workers.
We will be working with our members and our sister unions to make sure this Westminster government is left in no doubt that today’s spring statement is not acceptable.
Public service workers deserve a pay rise. Families deserve to be able to afford the basic necessities. Communities deserve decent public services.
At UNISON, we demand better and we stand ready to fight back.
