Kate Ramsden, joint
secretary of ATUC delighted to be speaking at this event to demand better for
all the people of Scotland – but especially those struggling the most with
poverty, growing inequality and the cuts to public services.
As someone who
has lived through this period of austerity as a trade unionist and a left
activist I’ve watched with horror as everything that we predicted has come to
pass.
If we cast our
minds back to that time in 2010 when austerity began, I can tell you that unions
told the politicians – the newly elected Tory government - that austerity was
NOT the way to deal with the so-called economic crisis. Well we’ve seen how
that turned out.
We said that we
were NOT all in it together. Do you remember when we were told that by some of
the richest – even then – in our society? By a cabinet full of millionaires?
But that’s now
become clear as we have seen the wealthiest amass more and wealth at the
expense of the rest of us.
There has been
a massive growth in inequality over the period since austerity began. The
Fairness Foundation, in a study just last year found that the wealth gap in the
UK has grown by 50% over the last eight years.
That has
affected the poorest communities the hardest of course. One in four of our
children grow up in relative poverty in Scotland with one in five in very deep
poverty. This means that their incomes are less than half of what is needed to
reach the poverty line. It’s shameful
And worse. Around
70% of children in poverty are growing up in working households, with parents
in low paid work, many having to depend on benefits to top up their pay. In
effect the state subsidising private employers making profits from a low wage
economy.
Disabled people
are finding it harder to get into work. Despite the rhetoric, employment
support has been cut. Cuts to essential benefits and to social care over the
past 15 years and draconian benefits assessments have made life miserable for
very many disabled people.
The recent
proposals by the UK Labour government threatened even further cuts, now
abandoned as a result of campaigning across communities.
And older
people have also been targeted with the removal last year of the Winter fuel
allowance – especially significant in Scotland where our freezing Winters can
spell disaster for those who can’t afford to heat their homes. A campaign also
reversed this decision at least in part, showing what we can do when we stand
together.
But in reality austerity
has affected all of us EXCEPT the very richest. We have all seen cuts to our
standards of living and to the public services we ALL depend on and hold dear.
We have all been affected by the cost of living crisis and the rises in the price
of food and fuel whilst our income has gone down
And here’s the
thing – it has not improved the economy. Growth over all these years has been
miniscule.
As a trade
union movement we predicted that.
We said right
from the start that the way to grow the economy is to put money into the
pockets of ordinary people – all of us.
Because we are
the people who spend in our local economies.
We were always
the people who kept local shops and businesses afloat. That is why so many high streets have gone drastically
downhill – especially in our rural towns and villages.
And the attacks
on public services have been the worst. They were such an easy target. But the
truth is that far from being a drain on our economy they contribute massively
to it. Public service workers, apart from being essential in a decent society,
are the people who pay our taxes just for a start. If you pay us less, tax
receipts go down. If you cut our pay we have less money to spend.
And public
services, properly resourced, also save money down the line. The cost of
failure is huge in financial terms in Scotland and the UK.
The alternative
was ALWAYS to invest in public services and the workers who provide them.
Pay decent
wages, pay benefits at a level that allows people to live with dignity when
they are unable to work.
That’s not just
good for communities and individuals, it’s actually what is needed to grow the
economy
Our country is richer
than it ever was – the money is just in the wrong hands. Millionaires and
billionaires do not, by and large, spend in local communities. They don’t even
spend in the country. Their money goes off shore.
This needs to
change! So what are we demanding in this campaign?
Well in fact
our demands are both ambitious and entirely achievable with the right political
will.
And don’t let
anyone tell you they are unaffordable. After the second world war UK debt was
many times higher than it is even now yet we build the NHS, the welfare state
and we instituted a programme of social house building.
The economy
grew. Debt reduced. Go figure!
We know the
money is there. With a programme of wealth redistribution to counter this
massively growing inequality that does no one but the millionaires any good, we
can make Scotland and the UK better for us all.
Scotland Demands Better is our chance to
come together and demand that politicians make the changes we need for a
society where every household can thrive and prosper.
We demand better jobs for everyone who
needs one, with fair conditions and wages that pay the bills.
We demand better investment for life's
essentials - like affordable homes, good public transport, a thriving natural
environment, and strong public services.
We demand better social security so that
all of us can live with dignity and have a foundation for the
future.
These are
demands that will not only benefit individuals and communities – but will
massively benefit the economy.
I can’t say
that too often. Driving up pay and conditions is good for everyone. It will
take children out of poverty, it will increase tax receipts, and it will put
more money in the pockets of ordinary people. It will be good for the economy
Improving
benefits will enable everyone to live with dignity and to achieve their
potential. And will be good for the economy
Giving everyone
in Scotland affordable access to the education, training and skills they need
and recognising education as a public good benefits our communities into the
future and will have a knock on impact on our economy.
Investing
properly in public services will not only contribute to ending child poverty it
will have a key role in growing the economy
Everything that
is called for in this campaign will not only improve the lives of our citizens
and our communities
It will
contribute to economic growth.
This is why
Aberdeen Trade Union Council and all our affiliates are right behind this
campaign. This is the answer to the high levels of anger and distress that many
people in our communities are rightly feeling.
Things have to
change but we need to target the right people. Not vulnerable asylum seekers;
not the immigrants on whom we depend to keep our public services afloat. But
the billionaires and the decisions that our politicians make – either through
self interest or ignorance – that don’t benefit anyone but the wealthiest.
That’s
why ATUC is committed to building solidarity between trade unions, community groups
and citizens, and we welcome the umbrella that Scotland Demands Better provides
to encourage these connections.
This
event tonight is a fantastic start. And we must build towards a massive
turn-out at the rally in Edinburgh on 25 October.
But
we can’t stop there. This has to be a springboard for community action.
We must energise and invigorate everyone in our communities – across urban and rural communities, across faith groups, across political divides, to get involved and build the solidarity that can overcome the politics of division and distrust that is currently growing in Scotland and across the UK.
