‘Tories may cut 100,000 jobs over next 5 years’

A union representing British civil servants is warning that the new Conservative government may slash up to 100,000 jobs over the next five years.

The head of the "First Division Association"(FDA) union says more swinging cuts to public spending may lead to an even greater round of public sector job losses than those under the last coalition government.

Dave Penman said he expects the Conservative government to continue its policy of primarily targeting staffing levels. He said Chancellor George Osborne is aiming to squeeze billions of pounds in savings out of the civil service.

“The DWP could lose 20,000 to 30,000 staff, the HMRC could lose 10,000 to 15,000 ... it is greater cuts than over the last five years and most of that is based around staffing, so it is not surprising.

“That is what the civil service is expecting, it is certainly what we are expecting. We are back to the 1930s level of spending,” the Guardian quoted him as saying.

The unionist cited an analysis which says that 40 percent of total cuts since 2010 shed around 80,000 jobs.

Penman added that the remaining 60 percent cuts would cost a further 100,000 jobs.

During PM David Cameron’s first term in office, the government launched austerity measures in 2010 in a bid to tackle the country’s mounting debt and sluggish growth, but the policies have sparked public protests in recent years. The cuts have severely hit the poorest households in the country, forcing many of them to choose between paying for food or energy.

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