Government worst in history, says union boss

In a stinging attack, Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union accused Labour of being a poor employer, and said his members believed there had never been a worse time to be a civil servant.

Speaking at the National Union of Teachers' (NUT) annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Serwotka called on unions to "stand together" and take industrial action if necessary to defend jobs, pay and pensions.

He told delegates that many union leaders have been arguing how well Labour has done, and that "we should be careful to appreciate what we've got".

But Mr Serwotka added: "I have to say to you this – that if you judge a government by how it behaves as an employer, this is the worst government in the history of this country."

He added: "I tell you why. Not because I have any illusions that David Cameron is going to be better – he's going to be dreadful – but the facts speak for themselves.

"In the Civil Service, the people I'm representing, in four years, the last four years of New Labour, we've lost 100,000 jobs, 2,000 offices have closed.

"More privatisation of our work than under the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major combined."

Mr Serwotka told delegates: "I can tell you absolutely that, even though I worked on the frontline under the governments of

Margaret Thatcher and John Major, all of our members tell us there has never been a worse time to be a civil servant

than under the current Government."

NUT delegates gave Mr Serwotka a standing ovation, while dozens, with their fists raised, chanted the often-repeated mantra: "Workers united, will never be defeated."