Public service workers are service users too

UNISON Scottish Secretary Matt Smith has called for politicians and the media to stop creating a false division between public service workers and service users.

Speaking at the Holyrood public service conference 'Who Delivers?' in Glasgow, Matt said, "Public sector workers are central to the delivery of better public services,"

"They are tax-payers and service-users too, and have a vested interest in well-run, well-funded public services. The sooner some politicians and some in the media realise this, then the sooner our members can start to deliver the Revitalised services we all want."

People, not structures, deliver excellence, and that the debate on efficiency and effectiveness must avoid being restricted to cost.

Matt said "Gordon Brown said the 'best public services are founded on values greater than material,' and Revitalising public services requires those services to be based on ethical principles. The principles of democracy, fairness, partnership, investment and excellence that we advocate in our campaign."

The union has put forward many positive ideas to improve Scotland's public services, including public service networks, increasing democracy into the quango state, and creating a level playing field between public and private investment.

It opposes expensive and wasteful PPP/PFI financed facilities and reject the notion of the false 'choice' agenda and the introduction of markets in the public services.

Above all, public service workers and users need to be involved at an early stage in the debate on increasing efficiency in the public services.

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