THESE are grim times for anybody lucky enough to have a job.

Companies have the power in the current climate to make widespread redundancies and freeze or cut the pay of those remaining. There is little individuals or unions can do about it.

Meanwhile, life is due to get tougher for people working for councils, hospitals and other public bodies. Birmingham City Council plans to shed up to 2,000 jobs, freeze pay and reduce services. There is every reason to think this will be the pattern for other local authorities.

The parties contesting the forthcoming general election appear to agree that cuts are necessary if the eye-watering national debt is to be tackled.

As things stand, the Conservatives want the pain to begin sooner than their Labour opponents, but there seems little doubt that the squeeze will affect public services at all levels over the next few years.

Both points of view are supported by different groups of economists and it is not surprising that the ordinary Joe in the street is confused and gloomy.

Bolton Council, currently run by Labour, is seeking to implement elements of a Value For Money review and most townsfolk will not have a problem with that.

Other citizens, such as those in the planning department, are less happy. A number of positions are to disappear — hopefully through voluntary redundancy, early retirement and redeployment.

But Unison, the town hall union, is to ballot its members for industrial action and it seems inevitable there will be more battles, no matter which party is in charge after the local elections in May.

Public service is set to be the next jobs battleground at a time when most of us can see that we need more, not less.

There was a time when people working for councils and other bodies could value stability.

That seems to be under threat and I cannot see how society as a whole benefits if everybody in employment worries about not being able to pay the mortgage or the rent.