Covid exposed dangers of cutting public services, TUC warns
Lessons must be learned from the Covid lockdown because of the dangers of cutting public services, according to union leaders.
The TUC said the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown offers a “stark reminder” of the need for strong and resilient public services.
Ahead of the anniversary on Sunday, the union organisation said the pandemic revealed the dangers of under-resourcing such services.
Undermined
It warned safe staffing levels in health and social care are “undermined” by years of pay freezes, which the TUC said impedes recruitment and increases staff turnover.
Health and social care were left “dangerously understaffed” when the pandemic began, according to the TUC.
General secretary Paul Nowak said: “We owe it to those who lost their lives and to those workers who put their lives at risk to make sure our public services are resilient enough to cope with another pandemic.
“That means sustained investment in health and social care and its workforce.
“The Conservatives took a sledgehammer to our cherished public services, leaving the NHS on its knees and struggling to cope when the pandemic hit.
“The Labour Government has rightly increased health and education funding in the Budget and gave many public service workers their first proper pay rise in years, but this cannot be a one off.
“Covid showed us strong public services and a properly supported workforce are vital for the nation’s health and resilience.”
The TUC said “lessons must be learned to save lives in future”, adding investment is the only way to improve service quality, increase productivity and boost public sector resilience.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
It’ll happen all over again when RefCon take back control in 2029. The problem is the simple minds who decide a number of millions is too much without any context then pick another arbitrary number to cut it by. To change the narrative, public spending should be assessed by efficiency and return on investment. If one department is running at peak efficiency and supporting a huge GDP contribution, it’ll be less likely to receive a haircut than another department that isn’t if this information is available.