FOLLOWING the public sector strike, we’re all going to get bombarded with anti-union propaganda.

When you get told that the one per cent offer that council workers are being offered is fair, remember that council staff are paid 20 per cent less in real terms than they were four years ago.

At the same time, they are working, on average, seven hours every week for no pay and are keeping most services going despite over half a million council jobs going since 2010.

When you get told that only one per cent is affordable, remember that councils have billions more in reserves — money that could have been spent on wages and services — than they did in 2010.

When you get told that the unions should be negotiating, not striking, remember that local government unions put in their pay claim in October and have been willing to talk since.

It took until March this year for employers to reply and, when they did, they said “one per cent and that’s out final offer”. It is them who have not wanted to talk.

When you get told that a higher pay rise would be bad for the economy, remember that 40 per cent of council workers are having to rely on in-work benefits to keep them out of poverty — taxpayers’ money topping up low wages.

They have very little money to spend in local pubs, restaurants, shops and on the local market, which is bad for all of us.

When you get told that private sector workers have it bad too, remember that most of the unions also have members in the private sector and want to see them do well also.

Bad wages for public sector workers does not mean good wages for private sector workers. Employers take a lack of resistance as a green light to attack their staff. It’s called the race to the bottom and it does none of us any good.

When you get told striking doesn’t work, think of what they had to admit about Bob Crow when he died — that by fighting back and striking when they needed to, his union protected their members’ wages.

When you get told that the public sector workers are holding the country to ransom, remember these are the same workers who are constantly being told they are useless when they’re in work and that they contribute nothing to society...

I’m proud to be a public sector worker and proud to be a public servant. I work hard and I pay my taxes. I deserve fair pay and I’m prepared to fight for it. So should you!

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