Budget

Conference notes the deepening crisis across our public services, with unsafe staffing levels, rising workloads, growing waiting lists, crumbling infrastructure and repeated failures to deliver fully funded, timely public sector pay awards.

This crisis is the result of years of inadequate Westminster funding, short-term budgets and a fiscal framework that does not reflect our real level of need.

Conference believes that Northern Ireland requires a budget from Treasury that is funded above current need, as is the case in Scotland, and sufficient to fund decent public services, fair pay awards, appropriate staffing levels and long-term investment in service modernisation.

Conference rejects any attempt to make workers and our community pay for underfunding through cuts, privatisation, job losses or regressive household charges.

Conference therefore resolves to campaign for a budget settlement that will secure recurrent Treasury funding based on need, not austerity limits or one-off packages.  

Conference further resolves to continue to campaign to protect public services from cuts, privatisation and regressive charges.

Conference instructs the incoming NIC to lobby all Assembly party leaders, the First and Deputy First Ministers and the Secretary of State to agree and deliver these demands.  

Our campaign should include coordination across the trade union movement supporting joint industrial action where appropriate to defend pay, jobs and services.