Zarah ChoudharyAccording to Unite, a single tax on the wealthiest 1% in the UK could raise £25bn, wiping out the nation’s budgetary “black hole” and providing funding to support and enhance public services.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “The government has tied itself in knots in picking the pockets of pensioners, cutting the winter fuel payment while the mega wealthy remain virtually untouched.
“That is unfair and simply wrong.”
Unite pledged to lead the challenge for the reversal of the winter fuel payment cut.
Graham criticised the “broken economy” inherited by the Chancellor, describing years of inadequate investment that led the UK to be “the lowest investment economy in the G7.”
While Graham welcomed the Government’s recent decision to loosen the “borrowing straitjacket” and direct new money to public services, she warned that it must now show “the vision needed to use its increased borrowing power to invest immediately in our economic infrastructure to generate jobs.”
Unite also highlighted the need for concrete plans and a clear timeline to deliver the promised 650,000 green jobs, adding that “workers in Grangemouth and the North Sea can’t afford to wait.”
The union called for the introduction of a wealth tax, noting that it has gained support from both the Labour Party conference and the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
In expressing her disappointment with the Chancellor’s stance on wealth taxes, Graham added: “A 1% tax on the richest 1% would create £25bn.
“Black hole gone and vital money in to support and enhance the UK’s public services.”
Other union leaders joined in responding to the Budget.
Gary Smith, general secretary at GMB, said: “After 14 years of chaos and failure, it’s great to see a serious budget that focuses on the big issues facing our country.
“Much needed money for schools, including SEND, hospitals and a hefty wage rise for millions of low paid workers is something to be celebrated.”
He added that investment in hydrogen and carbon capture technology is good news, but called for Government to begin further infrastructure projects, “starting with a new nuclear power station at Sizewell.”
Paul Nowak, general secretary at the TUC, said: “The Chancellor was dealt a terrible hand by the last Conservative Government – a toxic legacy of economic chaos, falling living standards and broken public services.”
Nowak praised the Budget’s investment plans as a crucial step towards “securing the stronger growth, higher wages and decent public services that the country desperately needs.”
He also pointed to the importance of tax rises to support services such as the NHS and schools, while calling for further efforts to strengthen the social security system and “clean up 14 years of Tory mess and economic decline.”
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary at Community, said: “After 14 years of a Government which has consistently overlooked the needs of our members, it is nice to have a Government that once again prioritises the needs of working people.”
Rickhuss highlighted investments such as the creation of a National Wealth Fund, expanded prison places, and funding to rebuild schools, describing these as “the first steps to deliver the change our members desperately need.”
Union leaders are calling on the Government to build on these initial measures with further steps to secure fairer policies and stronger public services for workers across the UK.
