Unite Miles Apart on Government Budget Strategy

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 Wednesday, August 24, 2022 - 08:58

IN MY VIEW by MARK VIALES

Unite the Union Gibraltar has clashed with the government over its tough economic plan it says is the ‘biggest wage squeeze’ on workers in decades. The largest local union launched a ‘cost-of-living crisis’ campaign earlier this month that mimics its UK counterparts’ call for the government to tax the rich. Unite’s lack of faith in the GSLP administration was compounded by the commission of two UK economists tasked with scrutinising the Rock’s current economic and political situation. Could it be that two foreign financial experts can find a better solution than the GSLP to cushion the impact of an imminent global recession?


COST-SAVING BOMBSHELL
The government’s radical economic plan announced during June’s Budget address upset many due to widespread tax increases and an eight per cent increase in utility prices. Even though some measures ensured higher contributions from wealthy workers, they were not enough to satisfy Unite’s desire to bring greater balance to Gibraltar’s system. Although the union agreed the crisis was brought on by Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, it believes low-income families should not suffer the consequences. Unite arranged a meeting with Chief Minister Fabian Picardo following his Budget announcement to raise its concerns, but the conclusion appears to have been unsatisfactory.

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