DELEGATES at the TUC’s annual congress backed calls today for new investment in public services after more than a decade of austerity. 

A composite motion from Unison, GMB, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and the British Dietetic Association (BDA) was passed without opposition.

Unison demanded the creation of a “fair and equal society” after the Covid-19 pandemic via sustainable long-term funds for public services, while GMB focused on its “Fight for £15” campaign, which calls for pay justice for social care workers. 

The RCM and CSP urged the Tory government to address staff shortages in the health sector, as more than one in 10 positions remain vacant and reports emerge of staff deserting the caring services.

Backing those calls, the BDA warned that health staff must be given the time and support needed to recover from the mental and physical effects of the pandemic or risk burnout. 

Addressing the union confederation’s virtual event, GMB’s Amanda Burley said: “Public services are part of the fabric which holds our society together. They belong to us, formed from generations of struggle by working people for a better society.

“Thousands of our members have put their own lives on the line as key workers during the Covid pandemic. They were applauded by politicians in power but are now being unrecognised, disrespected and unrewarded.

“This crisis was not caused by public-sector workers but by the failed ideology of successive governments that know the price of everything but the value of nothing. But our members know their worth.”