Rotherham worker urges TUC to fight Government

A ROTHERHAM printworker led the call for a united fight against Government cuts at the Trades Union Congress annual conference this week.

Ged Dempsey, a delegate of the Unite union, seconded a motion calling for coordinated industrial action against the cuts which was overwhelmingly carried by the TUC meeting in Manchester.

Mr Dempsey (47), who is married at lives in Wath, said the public spending cuts were a direct attack by the Con DEM Government “against each and every worker and family” in the UK.

“They want working people to pay for the financial shambles but it’s a crisis not of our making,” he said.

“We should not be paying a single penny or losing a single job in the public or private sector or working people and their families suffering further

with their benefits savaged and cut

“It’s an attack on the most vulnerable, its against basic decency.

Do you agree with Mr Dempsey's call for united action against the Government's planned spending cuts? Use the "write a comment" button to post your views.

“The lick-spittle Liberals have sold out for four cabinet seats, whilst it’s back to the same old Tories and ‘no such thing as society’ mantra

with Frank Field and Alan Milburn from the leftovers of New Labour thrown in.

“The  Government’s smash and rob budget is aimed at ordinary working people

“The very ordinary people who had to bail out the bankers out and their pals in the city

“Those who were found with their snouts in the trough have returned to business as usual with their obscene pay and bonus culture.

“The Bankers and Fat cats are the real scroungers. It’s them who should be coughing up with over £100 billion from their tax avoidance scams.”

Speaking in support of a resolution from the PCS civil service union, Mr Dempsey, a shop steward at magazine publisher Polestar, launched a staunch defence of the welfare state.

He went on: “We totally oppose minimising welfare support, driving claimants to take unsuitable and low paid jobs or face cuts in benefit, forcing lone parents into unsuitable employment, outsourcing Job Centre Plus to the 'third sector' and private employment agencies.

“The welfare state and public services are an essential part of any civilised society.

“Pooling the risk across the population and providing support and services to us all.

“Yet politicians attack and scapegoat the long term sick and disabled

as if they are responsible for society’s ill rather than its victims.

“Forcing people to compete for jobs which do not exist rather than helping people get back to work.

“This on top of the 1,000s of decent Remploy disabled workers who were denied jobs when they had their factories shut down callously.

“We must oppose the attacks and caps on benefits, including housing,

disability benefits, attendance allowance and axing maternity grants and reducing tax credits.

“These  crude, pernicious attacks are against the most vulnerable in our society including, single parents, the unemployed and pensioners.  

“The last thing they need is to be clobbered and stigmatised further.  

“It’s time politicians stopped blaming the victims.”

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