TUC Regional Secretary Alan Manning welcomed specific measures in the Budget when he addressed public service workers in Manchester today.
He warmly welcomed the extension of the jobs guarantee for young people in the North West and extra money for tackling poverty in the Region.
Support for businesses and a new ‘green’ investment bank would also help shift the economy away from the financiers and bankers who had caused the recession and help ‘re-balance’ the economy in favour of sustainable growth.
Mr Manning told representatives from more than 12 public service unions who were meeting at the Mechanics Institute in Manchester as part of the North West TUC’s ‘Proud to serve the public’ campaign that he was disappointed the Government had not introduced the Robin Hood tax.
He said: “We welcome the Government’s decision to maintain this year’s planned increase in public spending, but we have real concerns that cuts planned for future years will damage public services and the communities which depend on them.
“The Chancellor should have put more emphasis on raising tax from those who have benefitted most from the boom years, through a Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions, limits on tax breaks for the rich and a crackdown on tax evasion.
“Our campaign will continue to speak up for all public servants – and expose those who wrongly try to differentiate between ‘front line services’ and so called ‘back office’ or ’support services’.
“The truth is that we live in a complex, interdependent world where public servants such as the police, doctors, nurses and teachers all depend on support staff to do their own jobs effectively. Without these back-up, support and administrative staff, public services in our region would collapse – and that would hurt everyone.”
Related posts:
- Support grows for Robin Hood tax campaign
- Robin Hood tax on banks better than cuts in public services, says new campaign
- Mega bonus banks can afford to pay ‘Robin Hood tax’
- Watch out on Saturday – Robin Hood and his merry men take to the streets of Manchester!
- Richard Curtis talks about the Robin Hood Tax (Part 2)
'Proud to serve the public’ is a North West TUC campaign to protect and promote public services in our Region. We believe public services are a vital part of the North West economy. They create jobs, stimulate growth and... 
