UNISON General Secretary's conference speech 21/06/2011

In a speech to delegates at UNISON's National Conference, the union's General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:

March 26th, what a day it was. We marched together, But this week we march on. Because this is our week, together not beaten. Here to experience the unique solidarity of our conference. To share, to learn, to inspire. And be inspired by the struggles of others. To show the world that we're strong, determined, united.

We march on because today, like any other day, more of our members will struggle to pay their bills, more will cancel holidays they can no longer afford, wait for bank statements now afraid to open, the notice of impending redundancy our members dread.

And we march on because today, more of our members who work for our NHS, for the council, in schools and colleges, in Connexions - more of our members are struggling, having to explain to a family that their care home will close. Confronted every day by the crying shame of children missing their chance, and denied further education - a wasted generation of young kids, 1 million young people without jobs.

42% of young people black kids who left school - no job to go to, no hope of getting one. It's our members, our people. Fighting the brutality of Cameron's Big Society. Make no mistake, these are true blue Tories. Forget the PR, he smiling faces. They're cutting further now than Thatcher dared. For them it's unfinished business.

They've declared war on our public services. With Tory donors, City firms, hedge funders back in the heart of government. Financiers like John Nash whose private equity firm, sovereign capital, buys and flogs care homes for the fun of it.

John Nash, who chaired Care UK. Who grabbed NHS contracts. Who funded Andrew Lansley's private office. Who wrote the White Paper. John Nash, who was invited to The Treasury by George Osborne to help draft the spending review. To privatise, to then bid for the contracts...A sordid spiral. With spivs and speculators,ruling the roost. A country of favours and freebies for Cameron's friends and funders.

A country of ever widening inequality. The profits from banks - never higher. In just the past year alone, £7 billion paid out in city bonuses. Little wonder the 1,000 richest people in this country have seen their wealth soar by an average of 18 per cent in the past year. This is Cameron's Britain

And when I look across the hall I am proud - so proud, of all you do. You are the ones standing in their way, and it's you, our activists - you are the union. Like Angela, our president. What can I say. Not too much actually, she can still hit me from where she's sitting. Angela, tough at times, as you'll see this week. But with a heart of gold. A life-long activist, a fantastic mother. A perfect combination. A curious mix of braveheart and Miss Jean Brodie. Angela, With your help, we've weathered the storm. And on behalf of this conference, we thank you for all you've done for our union.

And like our president, I'm proud to welcome our international guests. Our comrades in arms. The trade union leaders facing the same battle as us. Austerity across Europe, from Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark. Unions we are linked with.

Friends we march with. And together we will fight, shoulder to shoulder for our values and for people across Europe. And to our friends from South Africa and Swaziland. It is an honour to have you with us - a reminder of true international solidarity. We welcome you all to our conference. Together, part of a joint struggle for a better, fairer world and the cause of peace.

And I would like to pay our condolences to Brian Haw, the peace campaigner, who lived opposite Westminster. Brian was a unique, determined man. Fighting to show self-serving politicians the horrors of war, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. And in his name, and from this conference, we send a message of solidarity to our brothers and sisters in Palestine, fighting for their freedom. To those in Libya and the Middle East, fighting for a fairer world.

Conference, A year ago, we could have been beaten, lost our way. But in this past year we've grown our membership for the 17th year running. We've strengthened organising, a new army of organisers. Our branches, fighting back where they can.

Mike Tucker, in Southampton, John Burgess, in Barnet - their necks on the line. 40 branches in dispute, 34,000 members, balloted or taking action. Conference, this union salutes them all and what they are doing to save our members jobs and services.

And activists like Anne McCormack and Kenny Bell, with personal battles, yet still battling for their members. Our branches in Stoke and the North East fighting the BNP and seeing them off. 700 welfare reps, there when our members need them most. And learning reps, like Carol Keddie, transforming lives and flying our flag.

Conference, this week let's remember who we are fighting. No one in this hall is the enemy. Let's turn our fire where it's deserved. We know who the enemy is. It's the bankers who crashed our world. The venture capitalists who sucked the life blood out of Southern Cross it is this coalition, who set our nation on a reckless course. They are the enemy, this coalition. With no democratic mandate, taking a chainsaw to our public services.

And we are told that there is no alternative. And as long as they keep preaching that mantra that there is no alternative, I will state on every platform that there are alternatives. Clegg and Cameron could have the guts to go back to the banks, the spivs, the speculators, and tell them on our behalf, "you created this mess - you clear it up." And I'll say it again; "If there's money to bail out the banks, if there's money to protect their bonuses. If there's money for war and replacing Trident, there's money available for our local services and our NHS. If there has to be a pay freeze, make it for the bankers, get them to do more for less.

And the NHS review, a cynical exercise in deceit and deception. They may have paused, but they didn't listen, their aims remain. For them, this was never about strategy, it was all about tactics. So this union remains on red alert. The threat to our NHS greater than at any time since 1948. A coalition with no democratic mandate. Led by Tories who don't believe in our NHS. And to those Lib-Dems, I phoned your head office and asked for a copy of your manifesto, "We've sold out", they said. "I know that, but can I have a copy of your manifesto".

So our message is clear, To Lansley, Cameron and Clegg. We want the bill scrapped and we will fight you every step of the way, ‘til Lansley tosses it back in the bin, where it belongs. We will get that Bill scrapped.

In two weeks time we will celebrate the 63rd birthday of our NHS. When Nye Bevan founded it, he said, "The NHS will last as long as there are people with the faith to fight for it." Well conference, 63 years on - We say to Nye Bevan, "This union has the faith, and this union has the fight. We will defend our NHS. We will defeat this bill. And we will win."

And privatisation still driving the agenda in local government, Education, Police. Whole services destroyed, no service immune. In water, the environment. Tens of thousands of job losses, and another year of pay cuts. The community and voluntary sector, facing massive cuts. So much for Cameron's Big Society.

And so to the fight for pensions. Our biggest test yet. To those who say "name the day", I say - "a day won't be enough". This coalition won't move with one day. To those who say, "negotiate", I say "anytime, anywhere, for as long as it takes". To Danny Alexander. Boffin or buffoon? He may have done us a favour. The world now knows what they're about. A 50% increase in pensions contributions -not a penny into the pensions funds. A 50% reduction in benefits. All workers to work longer, and if you happen to be privatised - well tough. You can't take it with you.... And to add insult to injury, 300,00 women finding out on the radio that their state pension age will go up, yet again, to 65, then to 67, and more. They will lose thousands. And it's daylight robbery.

So Danny, I say "if your intervention last week was designed to enrage our members and increase the chances of a strike - it worked!" And to Cameron, Osborne and Clegg I say, "Don't underestimate the outrage and anger of our members, at the savagery of your gratuitous attack on our pensions - to pay more, get less, work longer. The anger and outrage of our members at their crude efforts to set public sector against private - to start a new race to the bottom.

An attack on over 5 million workers - 20 million affected, all on a false premise. That our pensions are gold plated, unaffordable. A tissue of lies, misrepresentation. With the ink on our previous agreement barely dry.

Next week we stand firmly behind our brothers and sisters from PCS, UCU, NUT and ATL on the 30 June. Their fight is our fight. Yes, we will negotiate, but if the government fails to listen, to heed our warnings, to negotiate in good faith. I say, "David Cameron, you ain't seen nothing yet". We will strike to defend our pensions. A campaign of strike action without precedent. Yes, we hope for the best. But we plan for the worst. Our preparations are well advanced, but there is more to do.

Today is my call to arms. When you get back to your branches, prepare for action. You have a massive job to do; deciding in regions what action to take, millions of leaflets to distribute, winning the argument with the public, recruiting new members to our cause.

Strike action will need to be sustained. And the political and public campaigns intensified. The fight of our lives may be an overused cliché, but conference, that it what this is. A fight we can win, a fight we must win, and together a fight we will win.

We'll listen to none of the emotional blackmail from politicians and the media. If this coalition is so worried about the people who use our services, they shouldn't be closing them down. If they're so worried about disruption, they shouldn't be privatising them. If they're so worried about people who use our services - the old, the sick, or the young - they shouldn't be shutting down care homes and stopping benefits. Stop demonising ordinary, hardworking people who've had enough of being bullied, who just want to protect what they have, what they were promised.

If you want to find the, vested interests, take a look at the big businesses who aren't paying their taxes. If you want to find the wreckers, attack the bankers who are bagging bonuses once more. The privatisation industry, always pushing for a bigger slice of the pie, and who take their shilling to do their bidding.

Conference, our members deserve better than the shabby treatment they have suffered at the hands of this wretched government. That's why we're fighting to build a united, co-ordinated, sustained campaign of public education. Community organisation, with targeted industrial action and mass mobilisation.

A campaign that weakens our enemies, and wins us new friends. A campaign that can renew and rejuvenate our union. A campaign that doesn't just make the government think again on pensions. But can break the pay freeze, stop the jobs cull, and Sends this coalition packing. We know we won't win it in a day. But every day we keep the pressure up. We'll wear them down, sap their strength, and bring them closer to breaking point. And when you go back to your branches, to build for the battles to come, remember this; the campaign we are fighting isn't just about pensions, it isn't just about jobs and pay, it's about the kind of society we want to leave to our children. It's about protecting and passing on. The rights our grandparents fought for. The welfare state, universal public services.

It's about breaking a political consensus that says markets know best. In truth, Labour built the bridge over which the Tories now march. In future, only supporting labour candidates who support our values, our union, our people.

It's also about building strong trade unions. We know we don't always win everything, we know we will lose some battles, but never forget the difference you're making every day of the week. Never forget the jobs you are saving, the services you are protecting. The pay and conditions you are maintaining. Just by being there, just by putting up a fight. It's a vision that can never be vanquished. We know who the enemy is, and we will speak up for our members. We will negotiate - that's what we do, we will campaign - that's what we do.

But make no mistake. If we need to, we will take the fight to them, Conference, this is no time for despair, no time to look back. I ask you to find within yourselves the strength, the resolve, the courage, to march on. Determined, united, one million strong. And Conference, we will win.