Outrageous injustice

Chancellor George Osborne couldn't give a toss about the problems suffered by this vital workforce.

He trots out jargon about everyone tightening their belts and government "asking" all of society to make a contribution, but there is nothing voluntary about what is taking place.

The government has simply laid down an edict extending the pay freeze for council staff originally brought in by Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and chancellor Alistair Darling.

The retail price index has risen to 3.1 per cent, while the less representative consumer price index is flatlining at 2.7 per cent. Inflation has caused a cumulative shortfall of 13 per cent since 2009 in salary purchasing power for low-paid local authority workers.

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Nor is there equality of sacrifice. The tiny minority who sparked the financial meltdown that led to economic crisis are filling their boots once again.

Goldman Sachs, which escaped criminal charges for its role in the financial crisis when it could have blown the whistle on fraudster Bernie Madoff and failed to do so, is once again taking the lead.

It has put aside $13 billion this year to meet the cost of salaries, bonuses and fringe benefits for its bankers across the globe, equating to a per capita rise of $30,000 over the previous year's average of $370,000.

Goldman Sachs indicated that it was considering postponing payment of its bonus bonanza until April to benefit its British-based staff through the conservative coalition's reduction of the top rate of income tax from 50 per cent.

Was the bank really planning to do this or is it a double bluff designed to convince gullible people that it cares what people think?

Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King had suggested that it was "depressing" that rich bankers could consider doing this, "knowing this must have an impact on the rest of society, when even now it is the rest of society that is suffering most from the consequences of the financial crisis."

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Depressing for the governor perhaps but outrageous and unjust in the eyes of workers who carry out difficult but essential jobs and receive a tiny percentage of bankers' rewards.

Sir Mervyn also suggested that bankers are seeking to further boost profits by speculating in risky assets, which is of course where the financial chaos kicked in.

It may be said that at least the Bank of England governor has spoken out while Osborne sees no need to do so, regarding greed, self-interest and grinding the faces of the poor in the dirt as normal.

The Chancellor's attitude can be judged from his indifference to whether local councils took up his suggestion of a £250 flat-rate increase for all public sector workers paid below £21,000 a year.

Making workers and the poor pay for the bankers' crisis isn't an unfortunate choice for him. He sees it as natural.

The Chancellor will not change his ways in light of his awareness that decent working people are being driven into deeper poverty.

Only mounting protests, marches and strike action, led by trade unions but bringing together community organisations, campaign groups and sympathetic councils, can heighten the level of protest to bring this illegitimate coalition to an early end.