The Workers Union has urged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to put ‘people before politics’ and prevent thousands of job losses that are at risk.
On Tuesday Rishi Sunak claimed that ‘endlessly extending furlough’ is ‘not the right thing to do’. However, union spokesman issued a stern rebuke to the Chancellor. In a statement released this morning, Mr Morgan pointed to recent figures that illustrate the extent of Britain’s economic downturn.
‘According to the Office of National Statistics, unemployment figures grew to 4.1 percent in the three months to July. This has scrubbed 700,000 people from UK plc payrolls and swollen benefit queues to 2.7 million.
‘It’s clear that when the furlough scheme is wound up, those figures are going to look significantly worse as thousands of jobs are put risk. There may be those who say that we can’t afford any additional aid. There may be those who think this should be allowed happen. But any country that puts balance sheets before livelihoods is selling out the future for its citizens. We should always put hardworking people before politics. It’s critical that we get this right and extend the furlough scheme. Other job creation initiatives can run alongside additional state support but should not take the place of additional state support.’
The Workers Union Says
In recent days, organisations such as the British Chambers of Commerce have argued that furlough ‘continues to limit’ the impact on job losses. While this much is evident, the recent cull at London City airport and the lasting effects on the hospitality industry suggest that we are heading for a turbulent winter.
In what we used to call “normal” times this would be bad enough. For a country that needs to heal the divisions created by Brexit, the impact will be devastating. If the Prime Minister really is the ‘one nation Conservative’ he says he is, he needs to start showing it. By refusing to acknowledge the warning signs, he condemns Britain to experience a new spiral of anger and resentment.
Nobody has a crystal ball. This is uncharted territory. But one thing is for sure: we will not build a stronger and fairer country without helping working people when they need it most.
The Workers Union – Britain’s hardest working union
