The
Audit Commission’s report on the recruitment and retention crisis in public
services is a wake-up call to the Government according to Unison.
Unison,
the largest union in the NHS, local government and education, claimed the
report endorsed its own findings of a growing crisis with potentially
disastrous consequences for key public services, particularly social care.
Unison’s
deputy general secretary Keith Sonnet said: “If the Government needs any more
evidence to support Unison’s argument that there is a crisis in public sector
staffing, then this is it.
”The
Government must deal with this crisis now by making sure that there are decent
wages and conditions. It can no longer take for granted the goodwill and
commitment of the public sector workforce. The national pay strike in local
government show that workers no longer feel valued or respected.
“The
Government must accept that better pay and conditions attract motivated people
to help deliver those world-class public services it is seeking.”
