Trades Union Congress General Secretary Paul Nowak praised Labour for investing in health and public sector pay at last year’s Budget. But he warned: ‘This cannot be a one off’
The Covid lockdown anniversary offers a “stark reminder” of the need for strong public services, a union chief has warned.
Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary Paul Nowak praised the Labour government for investing in health and public sector pay at last year’s Budget. But ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement on Wednesday and fears of Whitehall spending cuts, he stressed: “This cannot be a one off.”
Sunday marks five years since ex-PM Boris Johnson announced the first national lockdown during a televised address to the nation. Mr Nowak said: “We owe it to those who lost their lives – and to those workers who put their lives at risk – to make sure our public services are resilient enough to cope with another pandemic. That means sustained investment in health and social care and its workforce.”
He added: “The Conservatives took a sledgehammer to our cherished public services, leaving the NHS on its knees and struggling to cope when the pandemic hit.” Covid showed us strong public services – and a properly supported workforce – are vital for the nation’s health and resilience.”
The TUC said the Tories had left both social care and health “dangerously understaffed” when Covid struck due to years of pay caps and freezes hitting staff numbers. The organisation said “lessons must be learned to save lives in the future”.
The comments came as the latest data yesterday showed UK Government borrowing soared above forecasts last month. Pilling further pressure on the Chancellor, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing was £10.7 billion in February.
It was £4.2 billion more than had been forecast by the official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and more than some economists had been expecting.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said: “We must go further and faster to create an agile and productive state that works for people.” He added: “At the core of this urgent mission is sound public finances, based on our non-negotiable fiscal rules. This government will never play fast and loose with the public finances.”
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