Coventry to host big conference against government cuts

[dutchman]

A big rally is happening in Coventry this evening against plans to slash thousands of jobs at our local councils to save cash.



Between now and 2014, Coventry is set to lose 1,000 council staff, with 1,850 being warned about redundancy in Warwickshire as bosses try to meet government targets.

So far in Coventry around 300 people have had their application for voluntary redundancy accepted, with bosses hoping to increase that number in the coming months.

Amongst the speakers at the Labour conference at Methodist Central Hall tonight will be Coventry Council Leader John Mutton, MP Jack Dromey and representatives of four unions, including Unison and Unite.

Joe Murphy from GMB will also be there, and he says Coventry is a place that is already feeling the effects of government cutbacks:

“We’ve already found out, in preparation for the cuts, Coventry have lost 134 full-time employees already – so that’s on top of the 1,000 due to come from April onwards.

“I think this conference and the demonstration in London on Saturday this isn’t the culmination of something, this is the start of the fightback, and we’re hoping we can get the government to see sense.”

Among the people heading down to the capital for tomorrow’s mass day of action against the cuts are three coachloads of workers from the campaign group ‘Nuneaton Against the Cuts’.