Budget 2021: 'They clapped us and now they're slapping us' - Dorset UNISON slams budget
The Dorset branch of Unison says public sector unions say the Chancellor's budget WON'T pave the way to a pay rise
The Dorset branch of UNISON is slamming the government's Budget 2021 as a 'slap in the face'.
News broke earlier this week that a public sector pay freeze would be lifted, raising hopes for Rishi Sunak's announcements on Wednesday.
But, there was no mention of a pay rise in the budget, but £4.8bn to help fund social care across the country.
The Dorset branch of UNISON says that won't be enough to deliver on the hopes of many of the public sector workers.
Becky Brookman works for the branch. She told Greatest Hits Radio Dorset:
"We are 25% worse off than we were in 2010. Through the pandemic, I mean unions have always known how important the public sector are, but the public have really seen that because we were the ones on the forefront, we were the ones protecting lives, going out, putting our own lives at risk... and we're not seeing any thanks for that work at all.
"We're not seeing any thanks for that work, we're just seeing increased taxes and rises in the cost of living.
"They clapped us on the Thursday and now they're slapping us."
Dorset Council faces a £36m funding gap this year. Becky says unless they get funding from central government, there's no hope of a pay rise.
"We're asking for a 10% pay rise, that can't come from the local authority, they're already cut to the bone, so we need that funding from central government.
"We need a decent pay rise. People need to be able to put food on the table, heat their homes, put fuel in their cars. This isn't rocket science, this is basic needs that we're not getting at the moment."