The president of one of Britain?s biggest unions said he fears homelessness under the Tories will exceed? the levels he saw as a young volunteer helping those living on the streets of Liverpool in the 1970s.
Chris Tansley, whose union Unison has more than two? million? members, was due to give his address at the climax of its conference in the city today.
Talking to the ECHO ahead of his keynote speech before up to 2,000 people at the ECHO Arena, Mr Tansley said he feared a return to the kind of mass unemployment and social breakdown that he witnessed nearly 40 years ago. Although from Nottingham Mr Tansley worked for the Simon Community in Liverpool in 1974, collecting and giving out food and clothes to those who had ended up living rough.
He told the ECHO: ?The poverty was dreadful. There were between 700 and 800 homeless people, mostly alcoholics, on the streets. In the Catholic Cathedral there was a shelter?? for them with beds all around it.
?The government had brought in the three-day week, the economy was in a right state and people had lost their jobs.
?There were also sailors who had just ended up here and ended up on the streets because they had nowhere else to go.
?It was appalling. You would see them heating up boot polish to drink it.?
Mr Tansley, who was due to give his speech ahead of Unison general secretary Dave Prentis, added he believed the recipe for disaster could be worse now than then.
?We are going to see homelessness like we?ve not seen in a lifetime for a multitude of reasons.?
He highlighted the? bedroom tax, which, at the conference on Sunday, Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson called on his Labour party leaders to vow to repeal if they took office in two years?? time.
Mr Tansley added: ?It?s a type of social cleansing, making poorer people move out of richer areas, breaking community ties. But the government is taking away the tools for local authorities to be able to deal with these problems when they arise.
?I?m from Nottingham and while we?ve been badly hit, here in Liverpool you?ve been really badly hit by the cutbacks.?
He said the main fears of the union?s membership, which accounts for a significant share of public sector workers and many private sector employees ,? was just keeping their jobs ? let alone worrying about pay and conditions.
He added: ?When I ask members are they prepared to take action over pay they say they?re more concerned about keeping in work, especially the public sector ones, because they don?t know when or where the next round of redundancies is going to come.?
A major debate on the future of the NHS was scheduled for this afternoon after the keynote speeches.
North-South jobless divide
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said the prospect of an economic recovery under the coalition was a ?mirage? while cities like Liverpool continued to suffer the highest unemployment.
Speaking ahead of his keynote speech at the union?s conference in the city, Mr Prentis, left,? said figures showed that Merseyside?s unemployment figures for men, women and young people were above the national average for the fifth year running unlike affluent some affluent areas of the south.
Youth unemployment in the region was the highest above the average, at 24.6% compared to the national figure of 21.2%.
He added: ?In a worrying repeat of the last two Tory-led recessions, Conservative party policies are clobbering the North, which is in the grip of an even deeper jobs crisis.
?Communities in the north are struggling as strong unemployment, coupled with growing involuntary part time work, takes vital spending out of shops and businesses.?
Male unemployment is at 9.9% compared to a national average of 8.6%, and female at 9%, compared to a 7.8% national average.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/unison-president-fears-homelessness-could-4569075
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