Tory charity manifesto plans 'will hit services'

13 April 2010

Key elements of the Conservative manifesto on the voluntary sector herald 'a race to the bottom' in terms of service delivery and employee conditions, Unite, the UK's largest union, warns today (Tuesday, 13 April).

Rachael Maskell, national officer, community and non profit sector said the Tory plans for charities to take over more responsibilities and duties from the State were 'a lethal cocktail' which will put profit before people.

She said: 'It is clear that the Tory proposals for the Not for Profit sector will see more voluntary organisations competing for contracts to run services that were previously provided by central and local government.'

'This will mean a race to the bottom as charities scrabble around to cut the costs in a bid to obtain contracts. This will have an appalling knock-on effect in terms of service delivery, and the security and employment conditions of the 750,000 people employed in the sector.'

'The Tory plans smack of short-termism and an attack on the traditional role of State. Unite is not against the voluntary sector providing such valuable services, but we believe that they should be complementary, and not as a substitute, for the services that the State currently provides.'

Unite is particularly concerned about two planks of the Tory manifesto relating to charities which are:

-a work programme delivered through private and voluntary sector providers, which will be rewarded on a payment by results basis for getting people into sustainable work

-a 'right to bid' to run any community service instead of the state.

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