{"id":5638,"date":"2015-09-13T17:46:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-13T16:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=5638"},"modified":"2015-09-13T17:46:30","modified_gmt":"2015-09-13T16:46:30","slug":"recovery-what-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=5638","title":{"rendered":"Recovery? What recovery?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the first speech of the conference, Unite AGS Gail Cartmail moved a motion on productivity and investment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c calling for \u00e2\u20ac\u015bgood work in a fairer and stronger economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She said that despite the talk of economic recovery, which helped the Tories back to victory this year, there were many respects in which that premise is false.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne of the most important is our economic productivity. There has been no recovery there.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She reported that productivity is scarcely any better than it was in 2007. And in the context of the world economy that is a disastrous failure for Britain. In fact this lack of productivity growth is unprecedented since World War Two.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The only alternative is to high levels of productivity output growth through debt \u00e2\u20ac\u201c not a promising path.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the government does not appear to be listening. Unite wrote to the chancellor in advance of its \u00e2\u20ac\u0098productivity plan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 this summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe told him, we know that the future employment of our members depends on successful and productive companies and public services. We told him \u00e2\u20ac\u201csome of Britain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best-performing sectors include car manufacturing, aerospace and others \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all have high levels of union density \u00e2\u20ac\u201c crucially where trade union involvement has been central to survival during the recession and to improved output and quality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Forgotten contributors <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSo when the government praises the success of the UK motor industry, it should not forget that it is Unite representatives who have helped make it so.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gail went on to discuss the devastating impact of austerity on productivity and future growth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She said the government needed to \u00e2\u20ac\u015bfix the banking system to ensure investment in the real economy, reform corporate governance to end the short-termism that inhibits investment, and use public procurement to boost manufacturing and create decent jobs and quality apprenticeships.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This together with \u00e2\u20ac\u015ba strategy to promote a low-carbon world and secure energy that creates high quality climate jobs and ensures workers are treated decently,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 was why \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthe TUC and Unite stand for a balanced energy policy that includes investment in renewables. But tragically, this government thinks differently.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor ministers the language of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098improving productivity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 is used as cover for slashing jobs<\/p>\n

promoting insecure employment or \u00e2\u20ac\u0098sweat-shop\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 working conditions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTheir strategy is attacking trade unions rather than recognising how important they are to meeting the productivity challenge.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gail concluded that growth would never be secured by squeezing \u00e2\u20ac\u0098more for less\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 out of workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it would happen through investment and an active government policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the first speech of the conference, Unite AGS Gail Cartmail moved a motion on productivity and investment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c calling for \u00e2\u20ac\u015bgood work in a fairer and stronger economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165   She said that despite the talk of economic recovery, which helped the Tories back to victory this year, there were many respects in which that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[392],"wps_subtitle":"Govt productivity record slammed","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5638"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5639,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5638\/revisions\/5639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}