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Three of the UK's largest trade unions have marked the new year with a warning to ministers that their members will fight cuts in public spending.
The GMB, Unison and Unite said they will urge members to use elections later this year to demonstrate against the Conservative/Lib Dem government's deficit reduction plans.
The coalition was accused of "a dangerous prescription of economic deflation and historically high cuts" that will bring the economy to its knees.
The unions, with a combined membership of 3.5 million, said elections in May will be "the first referendum on the government's austerity programme".
"Such is the level of concern about the real intent behind the cuts - recasting the state so that the private sector can sweep in, allied to the fear that harsh cuts will cause endemic inequality across society and plunge a new generation into unemployment - that the unions have vowed to work tirelessly together throughout 2011 to pursue a sound economic alternative," they said in a joint press release.
"The government is using the cover of coalition and a whipped-up fear over the deficit to terrify people into acceptance of what is little more than the rolling back of social provision.
"There is no programme for growth but only polices which will lead to a devastating contraction in the UK economy at a time when the global economy is still exhibiting deeply worrying signs of recession."
The unions will embark on a programme of promoting an economic alternative to their members urging them to get active in both opposing cuts and making their voices heard at the elections for local councils in England, the Scottish parliament and the Welsh assembly.
In his New Year message the prime minister denied the cuts were driven by ideology.
"A lot of the heavy lifting will happen in 2011," David Cameron said.
"Each and every minister in this government is acutely aware that the plans we have in place are tough, in fact incredibly difficult, but we are clear that the alternative – indecision and delay – would mean taking unacceptable risks with our economy, our country and our people.
"I didn't come into politics to make cuts. Neither did Nick Clegg.
"But in the end politics is about national interest, not personal political agendas.
"We're tackling the deficit because we have to – not out of some ideological zeal.
"This is a government led by people with a practical desire to sort out this country's problems, not by ideology.
"When we talk of building a bigger, stronger society, we mean it.
"These debts are not the government's debts, they are the country's debts.
"We are all in this together."
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