Public distrust of the government is spreading far and fast

Today, against a backdrop of anger over pay, the destruction of our NHS and deep cuts to local government and other key services, UNISON’s annual conference kicks off in Brighton. 

2,000 public sector workers have travelled from across the UK to set the political and campaigning agenda for the union in the lead up to the general election. They are keen to send a strong message to the government: ‘enough is enough’.

These workers see straight through the government’s appalling tactics, and so do the public.

The discontent over government policies on the NHS, the economy and taxation is spreading. A new public opinion survey by ComRes shows that in these three key battleground areas trust in the coalition is on the decline: only 36% of British adults trust the government to improve the economy and more than half disagree that the government can be trusted to set taxes in a fair way. Meanwhile, only a quarter say they trust the government with the NHS.

The government brags about an economic recovery that is still nowhere to be seen or felt.  The reality is, we are facing the biggest fall in living standards since Victorian times. The government is inflicting “misery” on all sections of the public sector and this is spreading widely.

The general public isn’t immune to the austerity measures; a quarter admitted that they run out of money between pay days. And this is despite 69% admitting they are more careful now with food costs than they were a year ago. When having a job offers no guarantee of work or regular money, what hope is left for workers and their families? It’s clear that government policies are doing little for those who need a helping hand to ease the pain.

In this climate, UNISON is currently balloting half a million local government workers for strike action over fair pay. And last month, we announced that we would also be balloting our 300,000 health members in England over the summer.

We are faced with a government that is reluctant to negotiate with the people. It’s not surprise, then, that growing public anger over the unfair treatment of workers is turning into real determination.

Dave Prentis is the General Secretary of UNISON