“We will not live with hunger, or live in the dark” UNISON tells cost-of-living demonstration

That was the message from UNISON’s Scottish Secretary Tracey Dalling to today’s (Thursday) ‘Scotland Deserves a Pay Rise’ demonstration in Edinburgh.

Organised by the STUC, the event is part of a wider cost-of-living campaign calling for urgent action to stem the crisis.

Tracey Dalling told the demonstration: “The pandemic has shown how much we all rely upon public services – but quality public services can’t run themselves. Unless NHS, care, school, police and council workers receive competitive wages, then experienced staff won’t stay and new workers won’t join.

“Soaring bills and rising prices for everyday essentials will be catastrophic for many workers. We need to increase pay for our hard-working public service workers along with introducing measures to tackle rising bills and household costs.

We canot allow workers to go without food – or be unable to to pay their fuel bills. We will not live with hunger, we will not live in the dark.”

“Public services need to be at the heart of an economic plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, they are the glue that holds our communities together and are relied upon even more during times of crisis. Public sector workers have steered this country through a devastating pandemic, often at great personal risk to themselves. It’s never been more important for us to stand up for our public services – and those who deliver them.”
You can find out more about the demonstration on the STUC’s website here.