Moments of Truth | UNISON Public Service Champions

Your public services are at breaking point. Hear from the people who provide them – and their personal, and often frank stories of the tremendous pressures they face.

Hear their voices. Share their stories. Take a stand for your public services. #momentsoftruth

The lack of funding for public services has, in turn, put the health of its workers at risk – both mentally and physically. Find out just how much damage is being done by watching their personal moments of evidence above.

It affects me every single day

As we lose more and more of our children’s centres and other public services, Lisa fears for her children’s future. As a single mum, she’s felt the blow of government cuts – and now, she wants everyone of us to act.

If we all stick together we can make a change

Florence has been on a zero-hours contract and has had to work 7 days a week to get by. She loves her job and the people she cares for. But now Florence’s health – and the wellbeing of everyone she cares for – is under real strain.

I can’t leave my job because I really love it.

The academy Karen works for is on the verge of closing, putting her at risk of redundancy and jeopardising the education of hundreds of children. Determined to help future generations, Karen wants to raise awareness of the unjust pressure that’s being put on our schools.

It’s not just a job, it’s a vocation, and I think you have to have a specific quality to do that

Since 2002, Miriam has worked at her local Library and helped build a programme of events for the community. Now, impending cuts are set to destroy everything she’s given to this vital neighbourhood resource and the people who depend on it.

The staff are what make the heart and soul of the library. Otherwise, you’ve just got a roomful of books.

Increasing workloads and stress are pushing Wendy and her colleagues to breaking point. She believes change is needed to save our public services and that this needs to start at the top.

I don’t know what needs to change but it’s got to start at the top and work its way down.

When Joyce joined a child abuse unit in the Police force in 2011 there was a team of 15. Now, there are just 5. Joyce is committed to her job, but fears that further cuts will leave the safety of her community hanging in the balance.

I’m a member of the public who needs to see police officers on the streets.

After years of staff cuts and being stretched from managing 1 children’s centre to 5, Anne believes public service workers need a fairer chance to deliver better one-to-one help to the families and children that need them.

I feel very strongly about the pressures that public sector workers and health workers are being put under.

Sophie’s loves the people she meets working in the NHS, but she’s had enough of the government’s lack of support for our health service. Continuous cuts and lack of staff are putting her wellbeing and the treatment and health of patients in jeopardy.

We are not able to provide the care that we need for our patients because we don’t have enough staff