COST OF LIVING CRISIS: Unions rallying call for unified action to tackle rising costs
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“It really is eat or heat” was the grim reality laid bare at a Highland trade union rally as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.
Members of the Communication Workers Union, RMT, GMB and Unison gathered together at the Spectrum Centre in Inverness to highlight the problems facing the public this winter as the costs facing households keep soaring.
Dozens of people met to discuss energy bills, inflation, salaries and rising fuel and food costs at the event.
NHS Highland worker Sean Robertson was one of many to take to the stage to discuss how a unified approach across different sectors was the best possible option to tackle rising household costs.
He said: “The idea of it was maybe to be a catalyst to be a movement against the cost of living in the Highlands.
“We can use this as a stepping stone for future protests and get more attention for the cause.
“One of the main things was that all the unions that were on the platform were coming together to coordinate action going forward – that way we can have a stronger presence.
“A lot of people were calling for a co-ordinated general strike.
“We had a member of the public who asked to speak as he had been evicted as his landlady had to sell four other properties as she couldn’t afford to rent them out any more – that’s one of the symptoms of the cost of living.”
He went on: “The speakers all went down well.
“We had around 70 people there.”
Mr Robertson (42) said people across the Highlands are facing increased pressures on their wallets and that action needs to be taken urgently to avoid further problems building up down the line.
He added: “This is working people – they can’t afford their rent, they can’t afford their mortgages, they can’t afford to heat their houses.
“They are choosing whether it really is eat or heat.
“I work in the NHS and I can’t afford to live.”
Mr Robertson said a co-ordinated approach among unions is the only way he can see that progress against the cost of living problem will be made.
He said: “If we work together then maybe we can combat the cost of living.
“In our opinion it is completely unnecessary – there’s so much wealth at the top of society and yet people working in public services can’t afford to live.
“We want to build a concerted campaign against the cost of
living.”
