THE TUC has warned that Merseyside would bear the brunt of public sector job cuts if the Government decided to slash public spending.
Speaking on the eve of the TUC Congress at the city’s BT Convention Centre, general secretary Brendan Barber said it was “astonishing" that calls were being made to cut the public sector deficit as a top priority, rather than funding economic revival.
Mr Barber, who hails from Southport, said the cuts would push unemployment nationally to over 4m – and cited a report by the TUC which analysed the effects of possible public spending cuts on the 25 local authorities with the highest levels of unemployment.
The study found that areas such as Liverpool, Leicester and Middlesbrough would suffer increases in unemployment of around 40%.
The TUC believes 19,000 public sector workers across Merseyside – 3.58% of the region’s total workforce – would lose their jobs.
The report warns that the areas of Merseyside with the highest levels of unemployment would suffer even more as a result of spending cuts.
Around 8,850 public sector jobs would be lost in Liverpool, increasing unemployment levels by 41%.
Knowsley would experience a 30% increase in unemployment, with 1,930 jobs projected to go.
The report warned that a 10% cut in public sector staff would lead to 700,000 workers being laid off nationally.
