The leader of the UK’s largest trade union has accused the government of sidelining public sector workers while focusing political energy on protecting jobs in the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Andrea Egan, general secretary of Unison, said teachers, care staff and NHS workers have too often been treated as an "afterthought" compared with what she called the "massive political focus" applied to roles connected to North Sea extraction. She urged ministers to apply the same urgency and attention to public services.
Egan also criticised the handling of the Jackdaw decision, describing it as a "serious misstep." She did not elaborate on alternative steps in the remarks reported, but framed the decision within a wider concern that public sector employment and service delivery are not receiving equivalent political protection.
Unison represents hundreds of thousands of employees across health, education and social care, and Egan’s comments reflect longer-standing union pressure for greater government recognition of the pressures facing those sectors. The intervention is likely to intensify scrutiny of official priorities as debates continue over jobs, public services and energy policy.
The call adds to broader political discussions about the balance between protecting energy-sector employment and addressing recruitment, retention and funding challenges in public services. Lawmakers and ministers will face renewed calls from unions for policies that explicitly prioritise workers in the NHS, schools and care settings alongside any measures aimed at the energy sector.