Union suspends council funding
THE city's biggest trade union is to withdraw its funding for Labour in protest over cuts to workers' pay.
Unison members in Stoke-on-Trent have ordered regional bosses to stop supporting the city's Labour party in an unprecedented bid to force a U-turn on £2 million cuts to staff terms and conditions.
It comes after senior Labour councillor Andy Lilley yesterday quit the party over his refusal to support the cuts.
The Sentinel has learned that a further six councillors in the city's ruling Labour group – about one-third of its backbenchers – are part of a growing rebellion against cuts which are set to hit hundreds of the authority's lowest paid workers.
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Unison pays £1,500 grants to constituency groups and also helps with leafleting during elections.
Unison branch secretary Clive Rushton said: "The Labour party was born out of the trade union movement and is there to represent the working man. It is now attacking the working man."
Cuts to contractual rights including allowances for working nights and weekends, will see low paid workers like social carers lose up to £6,500 a year.
3 Comments
by Benko
Saturday, January 26 2013, 9:29PM
“Councillor resigns – Unison withholds funding. Labour meltdown in Stoke-on-Trent continues!
http://tinyurl.com/addoh4q”
by pete12345
Friday, January 25 2013, 9:55PM
“If you do a search for 'Fight the Cuts! Two rebel Southampton councillors speak out - TUSC video' on youtube, you can watch a new (Jan 2013) video of two Southampton councillors, now expelled from the Labour Party, who have not only drawn the same conclusion but also have proposed an alternative budget.”
by usversusthem
Friday, January 25 2013, 11:52AM
“"The Labour party was born out of the trade union movement and is there to represent the working man. It is now attacking the working man."
I totally agree with their sentiment. I feel that I can no longer support a party whose leader stood up and said how proud he was to represent, as an MP, the area that he had grown up in and had the temerity to force upon the people of this city two parachutists of their choosing and not ours, the residents of this city. I cannot support a political party that fueled the need for food banks, cost us millions when selling our gold at rock bottom prices, stopped our pensioners from getting 60% of the national average wage, took this city from the 34th position to the 16th on the national Indices of Deprivation and has a set of local Councillors who are arrogant, shortsighted and determined to saddle the residents of our city with massive debts which our grandchildren will be paying off by supporting this very risky and uncertain move of the civic centre from Stoke to Hanley. Can anyone remember the "Professional Quarter"? This was another white elephant by the then council to generate jobs and businesses which didn't happen.
If this is a party of the people why is there such dissent across our city? Why are there so many campaign groups being formed to oppose this council's decisions? Why are so many petitions being started and in the main ignored? Why are there so many Campaigners agreeing to March on Stoke? We need change and it's this council and officers where the change is needed. Please remember this in May 2015.”