STUC General Secretary on Motion 57 - Working in Partnership for Change across the UK

April 20th 2015

STUC General Secretary on Motion 57 - Working in Partnership for Change across the UK

April 20th 2015

During his speech at STUC Annual Congress today on Motion 57: Working in Partnership for Change across the UK, Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary disputed David Cameron's recent claim that the Tory Party is now 'The Party of the Working People':

“What has ‘The Party of the Working People’ done for us in the past five years?

Well, we have had:

• Severe, unnecessary and ideological austerity deliberately targeted at the living standards of the most vulnerable;
• An unprecedented and sustained collapse in real wages;
• A surge in low wage, insecure jobs, with 400,000 more zero hour contracts;
• An 80% fall in tribunal claims due to the introduction of charges; and
• Attacks on union facility time, health and safety regulation and our freedom of speech.

"Quite an impressive anti-worker record for the self-proclaimed ‘Party of the Working People.’

He continued: “Congress, the election of a Tory Government would be a disaster, for working people in Scotland and across the UK.

“Far from being the Party of the Working People, they are, and always will be, the party of privilege and patronage, the party of the rich for the rich, the party of prejudice and intolerance, and hopefully, on 8th May, the Party of Opposition!”

The General's Secretary's speech in its entirety can be downloaded here.

ENDS

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