date: July 28 2004 embargo: immediate

Attention: industrial

General Council statement on civil service job cuts

At its meeting today the TUC General Council agreed to issue the following statement:

'The General Council today expressed deep concern at the proposed 104,000 job cuts in the civil service and the impact that these will have on the quality of and access to public services. Such losses are neither necessary nor acceptable. They would result in cuts to public services and public access.

'The General Council rejects the artificial distinction between front line and back-office functions in the public sector. Providing high quality public services is a co-operative effort. The regulation of the private sector is also an essential role of Government in a civilized society.

'The General Council agrees to fully support the campaign of the civil service unions to defend the jobs of their members, the public services they provide and public access to those services; to oppose compulsory redundancies, privatisation, and casualisation; and to ensure redeployment and retraining for all those who wish to do so.

'The General Council calls on the government to work with the civil service unions to deliver these key objectives and, through the Public Sector Forum, closely monitor the practical implications for services delivery and public access.'

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Press release (400 words) issued 28 Jul 2004