MILLIONS of people are facing unimaginable hardship, the likes of which we thought were consigned to the past — but instead of helping them, the Tories are indulging themselves in the grotesque spectacle of a leadership contest. 

People have simply had enough and it’s trade unions who are spearheading the fightback. 

We’re determined to win for our members because it’s hard to overstate how bleak things are and how much worse they’ll get. 

Inflation is already at 9 per cent and for those on the lowest incomes, the real inflation rate is well into double figures. 

The situation is so desperate that supermarkets have been putting security tags on basic food items, as people in the depths of poverty are resorting to shoplifting so they can feed themselves and their families. 

The response from this crumbling government to help people suffering has fallen woefully short. For months unions have been calling on the government to implement above-inflation pay rises, increase universal credit and other legacy benefits, and do more to tackle soaring energy bills. 

With inflation rising and energy bills set for another eye-watering increase again in October, this government is knowingly making things worse for people. 

Members of my union, PCS, are all too familiar with this tale of betrayal. These hardworking public servants, who keep the wheels of government turning, haven’t had a real-terms pay rise for over 11 years and are missing out on at least £2,800 each year. 

During the pandemic, they went above and beyond the call of duty, providing essential public services that people relied on at a time of national crisis. 

And what was the government’s reward for them? A deeply insulting 2 per cent pay rise, a real terms cut of at least 7 per cent. 

It’s not just on the issue of pay where our members are being attacked. They’re overpaying into their pensions by 2 per cent each month after the government failed to act following a high court ruling over pension changes. 

They’re also having another go at slashing redundancy pay, even though we defeated them over this at the High Court in 2016. 

And not content with slashing pay and tearing up terms and conditions, they’re now coming for our members’ jobs, with over 91,000 jobs in the Civil Service at risk of being axed.

The attacks are on every front and they’re relentless. I can’t recall a time when the Civil Service has faced so many challenges in such a condensed period of time. 

PCS members won’t stand for it and that’s why we’re holding a national statutory ballot for strike action in September. Our campaign will serve as a reminder to the government of just how important their own workers are. It’s about time their work was valued. 

We’re calling on the government to not only ensure our members aren’t left to suffer any longer from the cost of living crisis but are compensated for the decades-long assault on their living standards. 

To achieve this, we’re demanding a 10 per cent pay rise; a living wage of at least £15 an hour; an immediate 2 per cent cut in pension contributions; no further cuts to redundancy terms; and a job security agreement, coupled with the Civil Service resources desperately needed. 

It isn’t just about giving it enough resources to get by, it’s about ensuring it can provide the best possible public services now and in the future. 

On the issue of pay, where the government has so shamefully let workers down, the case for an inflation-busting rise for public-sector workers is indisputable. 

At the beginning of this year, it was reported that public-sector pay growth was the worst on record and it’s immoral that these workers should continue to suffer at a time when there are more billionaires in this country than ever before. 

And claims that the government can’t afford pay rises in the public sector are unfounded. Higher inflation means more tax revenue for the government and just in income tax, they’ll receive an additional £20 billion. 

The calls for wage restraint in the public sector to prevent a wage-price spiral should be called out for the economic nonsense that they are. 

The rise in inflation hasn’t been caused by higher wages but by greed and profiteering. The sky-high energy prices have meant oil and gas companies have been making record profits and in other industries, companies are taking us for a ride: the profit margins for the FTSE 350 companies for 2021 were a staggering 73 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels. 

With companies making money like never before and government tax returns on the rise, it’s no wonder workers are asking why they aren’t seeing this reflected in their pay packets. 

This is why we’re seeing a wave of industrial action across the country, and this will turn into a tsunami of unrest if employers fail to do right by their workers. 

Other unions will be balloting their members in the coming months and we should work to build co-ordinated strike action across the country.

This is a pivotal for our movement and the workers we represent. The government is disintegrating and in the search for the next Tory leader, they will tear themselves apart. 

People are suffering on an unprecedented scale and now is the time for unions to work together and secure the victory that workers desperately need. 

Mark Serwotka is general secretary of PCS.