:01:01. > :01:05.And coming up: 700,000 people in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire prepare
:01:05. > :01:15.for the bigger strike in generations.
:01:15. > :01:15.
:01:15. > :34:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2016 seconds
:34:51. > :34:55.And what Yorkshire's hard-working Welcome to the show up in Yorkshire
:34:55. > :35:00.and Lincolnshire. Today we are counting down to the biggest strike
:35:00. > :35:06.in decades. Up to three-quarters of a million workers here will walk
:35:06. > :35:09.out on Wednesday. The leading teaching union defends the so-
:35:09. > :35:14.called day of action that will shut down many schools. And they work
:35:14. > :35:21.long hours for little reward. What Yorkshire families want to hear it
:35:21. > :35:26.in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement on Tuesday.
:35:26. > :35:31.The unions claimed that up to 700,000 public sector workers
:35:31. > :35:36.across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will take part on -- in Wednesday's
:35:36. > :35:39.national strike. Hospitals, schools, colleges at, courts and airports
:35:40. > :35:44.are likely to be affected by the day of action over proposed
:35:44. > :35:48.pensions changes. The biggest teaching union has told us that it
:35:48. > :35:57.expects the majority of schools will either be closed or partially
:35:57. > :36:01.closed. Emma Hardy as a primary school
:36:01. > :36:11.teacher in East Yorkshire. She is unhappy at having to pay more
:36:11. > :36:15.towards her pension and work longer. They still want me to work until I
:36:15. > :36:20.am 68. They still want me to pay more into my pension and at the end
:36:21. > :36:25.of it, I am going to get a poor pension. Teachers, on average, get
:36:25. > :36:29.�10,000 a year. I could name staff at this school that have had time
:36:29. > :36:36.off and come back to work and are looking at a pension of around
:36:36. > :36:39.�1,000. That is not gold plated. I am the squeeze the middle. They
:36:39. > :36:46.talk around -- about offering help for me but they are asking me to
:36:46. > :36:52.give more and more each month. My pension is already self-funding and
:36:52. > :36:56.I truly believe our self- funding pension exists. I can understand
:36:56. > :37:01.why they are asking me to, as the unions keep saying, pay more, work
:37:01. > :37:10.longer and get less. But many parents, like Mark and Rebecca, who
:37:10. > :37:18.have three children, say next week's strike will be inconvenient.
:37:18. > :37:23.I have to get someone else to have the kids while we do what we need
:37:23. > :37:26.to do. In this weather, it is not good because it is called.
:37:26. > :37:30.disrupt the kids' education because they have got to complain about
:37:30. > :37:37.something? I doubt it is all of them that have got a complaint.
:37:37. > :37:41.Because the union says they are having a strike, everyone is out.
:37:41. > :37:46.We are expecting that the vast majority of schools will be closed
:37:46. > :37:51.or partially closed. To those who are inconvenienced and out of
:37:51. > :37:55.pocket, no teacher wants that to happen. That is not our aim.
:37:55. > :38:01.Teachers have realised that without any justification being given to
:38:01. > :38:06.them, they are having to ensure privations that are a result of
:38:07. > :38:11.someone else's making. The economic situation was not brought about by
:38:11. > :38:15.teachers or public sector workers generally, but we are talking about
:38:15. > :38:19.teachers and they are paying the price for it. The government claims
:38:19. > :38:24.the disruption caused by next week's day of action will cost the
:38:24. > :38:30.country half-a- billion pounds. But at this stage, nothing looks set to
:38:30. > :38:36.strop the biggest strike of this generation. -- stop. Our guests are
:38:36. > :38:41.Caroline Flint, the shadow energy and climate change secretary, and
:38:41. > :38:51.Andrew Percy, the Conservative MP for Brigg and cool, who is a
:38:51. > :38:56.
:38:56. > :39:00.teacher. Will you be joining York It is not the case that people will
:39:00. > :39:04.work longer, retire later, pay more and get less. They will get a
:39:04. > :39:08.bigger pension at the end. They will have to work longer, the same
:39:08. > :39:15.as people in the private sector, but babel get a bigger pension at
:39:15. > :39:19.the end. But the average pension for a teacher is �10,000 a year.
:39:19. > :39:22.They are not asking for a lot, are they? I don't know about those
:39:22. > :39:28.figures because plenty of people who go into teaching now will
:39:28. > :39:31.retire with a much bigger pension than that. I would say that those
:39:31. > :39:36.pensions are being funded by the taxpayer and they are bigger, on
:39:36. > :39:40.average, than the pensions available in the private sector.
:39:40. > :39:46.Caroline, do you support this strike action was matter what I
:39:46. > :39:50.support his both sides - the unions and the government - spending every
:39:50. > :39:54.hour in the lead-up to next week to find a way to avert the strike.
:39:54. > :39:59.There are moves and ground that could be given on both sides. On
:39:59. > :40:05.the union side, there could be grand given in terms of the career
:40:05. > :40:11.average pensions and be retirement age. The -- ground. The government
:40:11. > :40:14.have to look at the 3% increase they put on people as a tax rise.
:40:14. > :40:18.But they also have to look at part- time workers particularly, who will
:40:19. > :40:24.be hit by these measures. The government did also decide that
:40:24. > :40:27.they were going to link pensions increases not to the retail price
:40:27. > :40:34.index, but to the consumer price index, which is lower - that will
:40:34. > :40:41.hit the value of pensions. Every minute, right up to 6am on the
:40:41. > :40:45.morning of the 30th, should beat used to avert the strike. But if
:40:45. > :40:51.the talks are not concluded with a satisfactory outcome on both sides,
:40:51. > :40:54.as looks increasingly unlikely, will you accept this strike?
:40:54. > :40:59.really don't think that sort of talk is helpful. It was not helpful
:40:59. > :41:04.when it was indicated that David Cameron had said to someone that he
:41:04. > :41:08.was delighted that the unions had not backed the deal. I don't think
:41:08. > :41:11.grandstanding helps the situation. Strikes are a sign of failure and
:41:11. > :41:16.under the Labour government, we had the lowest level of strike days
:41:16. > :41:22.lost on record. There is room to manoeuvre on both sides, and that
:41:22. > :41:28.is where they should get round the table. They should keep on
:41:28. > :41:33.negotiating. Andrew, the government says this is going to cost our
:41:33. > :41:37.economy half a billion pounds. Is that scaremongering? We know when
:41:37. > :41:41.we had a public holiday for the Queen's birth date and for the
:41:41. > :41:46.royal wedding, it cost about the same lap. I am not obsessed by
:41:46. > :41:52.those figures. I am obsessed about the inconvenience it caused us to
:41:52. > :41:59.our constituents. The negotiations are still ongoing. This action is
:41:59. > :42:01.premature. A new offer has been put the unions, which is very generous.
:42:01. > :42:06.But the 3% increase on contributions was announced and
:42:06. > :42:10.they said they were not going to negotiate on it. John Hutton was a
:42:10. > :42:17.Labour politician who gave a report, much of which I think was very
:42:18. > :42:22.sensible. It was said to the unions that there would be no negotiation.
:42:22. > :42:27.That 3% increase is not about sustaining pensions. It is a
:42:27. > :42:32.surcharge which will go back to the Treasury. Is there a problem here,
:42:32. > :42:36.Caroline, in that Labour can't afford to upset the unions? A vast
:42:36. > :42:46.amount of your murderer to -- your party's funding comes from the
:42:46. > :42:47.
:42:47. > :42:51.unions. Before the last election, we were negotiating on the pensions.
:42:51. > :42:55.We were doing that and we were hopefully on the verge of reaching
:42:55. > :42:59.a deal at that time, and we did that without the atmosphere we have
:42:59. > :43:03.today. The truth of the matter is that Labour will always do what is
:43:03. > :43:09.right for the country, and what is right for the country now is to
:43:09. > :43:13.avert the strike by all parties getting around the table. We would
:43:13. > :43:18.expect Caroline to say that but you need to look at a Labour Party's
:43:18. > :43:23.funding figures. People had said that if I got paid to put a man
:43:23. > :43:27.bent down binned the parliament, but in the same way that Labour MPs
:43:27. > :43:30.do on behalf of the unions, there would be a major investigation.
:43:30. > :43:34.They are going to come out with these weasel words at the moment
:43:34. > :43:38.but what they should be doing is coming down on the side of the
:43:38. > :43:45.hard-pressed taxpayer. People like my dad, who is 66, still goes out
:43:46. > :43:48.to work in the private sector, and in a low salary to fund and
:43:48. > :43:54.subsidised the generous public sector pensions of people who
:43:54. > :44:00.retired years before him. I don't think it helps to put public sector
:44:01. > :44:04.as against the private sector workers. There are too many people
:44:04. > :44:08.in the private sector, at the top of companies, getting bonus
:44:08. > :44:12.packages with private pensions. We should call on those organisations
:44:12. > :44:15.to think about their poorest workers. We could look at what
:44:15. > :44:20.happened with pay at the very top over the 13 years of the Labour
:44:20. > :44:24.government. All I would say is that people in the public sector should
:44:24. > :44:29.get a better pension. It is not about putting people against each
:44:29. > :44:35.other. It sounds like you don't value public sector workers for
:44:35. > :44:43.stop nonsense. I used to be one. don't think David Cameron was and
:44:43. > :44:46.he does not set the tone that you set about public sector workers. It
:44:46. > :44:50.is like he is looking for a fight. Maybe they want to fight to
:44:50. > :44:54.distract attention from the Autumn Statement. There is plenty more to
:44:54. > :45:00.talk about because all eyes will be a Westminster on Tuesday, as the
:45:00. > :45:10.Chancellor George Osborne delivers his Autumn Statement. Our political
:45:10. > :45:10.
:45:10. > :45:16.editor has been asking what will be We used to spend �25 a week
:45:16. > :45:21.shopping and now it is 80. We can't respond unless there is finance
:45:21. > :45:25.there to help us to respond. As a manufacturer and exporter, I am
:45:25. > :45:31.looking for help with investment. have not had a rise for two years
:45:31. > :45:38.and everything is going up. Gas and electric, car tax - everything goes
:45:38. > :45:46.up except my weight. Avril key economic road feared by so many. So
:45:47. > :45:52.what can the Chancellor do to help them? -- a very rocky economic road.
:45:52. > :45:57.It is a long wish-list. How about trying to speed up the traffic?
:45:57. > :46:03.Business says the roads are making traffic jams, and their goods and
:46:03. > :46:09.spare parts caused in those traffic jams -- held up and those traffic
:46:09. > :46:14.jams are costing them billions. Vat has increased, and a petrol
:46:14. > :46:23.stations are soon to put on another rise in fuel duty. That will see
:46:23. > :46:29.the price of a gallon go up yet again. And then a trip to the town
:46:29. > :46:33.hall. Here, cutbacks are seeing job losses, reductions in wages - but
:46:33. > :46:40.just as important, passing on money to charities. The very same
:46:40. > :46:47.charities that are meant to be above part of the Big Society. --
:46:47. > :46:52.at the heart of the Big Society. It is a financial struggle for this
:46:52. > :46:58.family in Bradford. Though both parents are in work, with a total
:46:58. > :47:02.income of the national average of �25,000 a year. With the baby food
:47:02. > :47:11.and nappies, the prices have just gone up. That is what we struggle
:47:11. > :47:17.with. Day-to-day shopping is going through the roof. At his home in
:47:17. > :47:23.Leeds, Steve Proctor, a union shop steward at Leeds City Council, is
:47:23. > :47:29.horrified for plans at his pension. For two decades, he has walked 20
:47:29. > :47:35.miles as one of a two man crew on a dustcart every single day. What
:47:35. > :47:42.they are taking off me now is for me to stay until I am 67. Do they
:47:42. > :47:50.want me to die in service? I will be 69 next year. I can't do this
:47:50. > :47:55.job until I and 71. This week, Yorkshire's senior clergy spoke out.
:47:55. > :48:00.How could charities and volunteers fill the gap in public services if
:48:00. > :48:05.their funding is cut back? believe the government needs to
:48:05. > :48:08.ensure that that money continues to come up so that voluntary
:48:08. > :48:14.organisations can continue their excellent work which, indeed, comes
:48:14. > :48:17.under the Big Society tag. business? This factory, making and
:48:17. > :48:22.exporting surgical equipment for the health industry, has already
:48:22. > :48:28.been awarded public money from the regional growth fund. But is it
:48:28. > :48:33.enough? We are based in Leeds and a very proud of being a Leeds company.
:48:33. > :48:37.We need a more facilities and we are looking at the Enterprise Zone.
:48:37. > :48:40.It is important that we have good of road, rail and airport links.
:48:40. > :48:45.The message in the north is clear - slowdown the cuts and spend a bit
:48:46. > :48:55.more. No clear signs of government austerity policy working and plenty
:48:56. > :48:58.
:48:58. > :49:01.that it is hurting. Andrew, we hear the government is going to pump
:49:01. > :49:07.money into new infrastructure projects. What can we expect on
:49:07. > :49:12.Tuesday? Locally we are expecting an announcement about the Humber
:49:12. > :49:16.Bridge tolls situation, which you know well. We are expecting to see
:49:16. > :49:21.some write-down of the debt and new arrangements there. Some road
:49:21. > :49:26.projects could be brought forward. We have the A160 on the south bank
:49:26. > :49:31.of the Humber, which is important. Yorkshire and Humber has had a
:49:31. > :49:36.pretty raw deal on transport. hear the government will invest in
:49:37. > :49:39.new power stations, Green Investment, coastal defences. As
:49:39. > :49:43.Shadow Energy and climate change secretary, surely you think that is
:49:43. > :49:47.a good thing. I hope what they will do in the Autumn Statement is admit
:49:47. > :49:51.that they have not got it right. David Cameron said this week that
:49:51. > :49:55.has just gone that the plan to reduce the deficit is failing, and
:49:55. > :49:58.we have been saying they have made cuts too far and too fast. In
:49:58. > :50:03.Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-east, we have the highest
:50:03. > :50:07.unemployment in our country, so we need a package. Give us an action
:50:07. > :50:12.package to get growth and employment going in the right
:50:12. > :50:17.direction. Too many young people in our region are unemployed and to
:50:17. > :50:22.many businesses are not being supported. Andrew, when you look at
:50:22. > :50:26.the family we featured there, they are struggling to pay the bills and
:50:26. > :50:30.put fuel in their car. How can you say to people like them that there
:50:30. > :50:38.is a bright new economic future, or when there appears to be little
:50:38. > :50:41.good news on we could rehearse all the arguments about why we are here.
:50:41. > :50:50.We know about the debt the previous government left us with all stop
:50:50. > :50:55.here we go. You may not like it. They manage to shrink the economy
:50:55. > :51:00.during the recession by about 6%. They said it was world affairs but
:51:00. > :51:04.now it is the new Government's fault, apparently. We know that on
:51:04. > :51:09.fuel bills and petrol prices, a lot of that is beyond government
:51:09. > :51:12.control. The government has got to try to make sure it is providing
:51:12. > :51:17.support to people struggling the most, and those who are the poorest.
:51:17. > :51:21.That is why we have seen big changes that are due to take a
:51:21. > :51:26.million people at the bottom of the income scale out of tax. We are
:51:26. > :51:31.seeing one million young people out of work. Youth and Employment has
:51:31. > :51:36.gone up by 846 % in my constituency. The truth is that the government
:51:37. > :51:40.blamed the last Labour government. They blamed the snow last year,
:51:40. > :51:47.they blamed the royal wedding at one point and they blamed the
:51:47. > :51:51.eurozone. They have a strategy called it blame anyone but Cameron.
:51:51. > :51:55.We all agree about the deficit but the extreme action they took to cut
:51:55. > :52:01.the deficit so far and so fast has basically left to people on the
:52:01. > :52:05.dole, made businesses lack confidence - and let's look at the
:52:05. > :52:08.regional growth fund. That was meant to be the alternative to the
:52:08. > :52:12.regional development agencies that did us pretty well in the Yorkshire
:52:12. > :52:22.and Humber region. Only two businesses have got anything out of
:52:22. > :52:24.
:52:24. > :52:30.it. We have 10 million for lobbying Lincolnshire. -- North Lincolnshire.
:52:30. > :52:33.The trend of UK unemployment has been going up since 2004. Under the
:52:33. > :52:37.previous government, a youth unemployment was rising at a time
:52:37. > :52:42.when unemployment generally was going down. That did not just
:52:42. > :52:46.happen overnight. Let's pick up on what the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds
:52:46. > :52:50.are said. He talked about how the voluntary sector charities are
:52:50. > :52:55.struggling to fill the gap left by public sector cuts. He mentioned
:52:55. > :53:01.that phrase - the Big Society. What has happened to that? We don't hear
:53:01. > :53:05.that any more. The Big Society is still there and to charities are
:53:05. > :53:11.continuing to fulfil the important role they have awful. The Big
:53:11. > :53:17.Society is very hard to define but crises samples of it all the time.
:53:18. > :53:23.-- they have always fulfilled. Even when government has had many, it
:53:23. > :53:26.has failed and lots of areas. government are realising that their
:53:26. > :53:28.choices about the way they went about cutting the deficit and the
:53:28. > :53:34.cuts they have made in public services are not delivering the
:53:34. > :53:37.goods. Growth has flat lined, unemployment is up. We have heard
:53:37. > :53:42.that they are planning to find money to fund jobs for young people.
:53:42. > :53:50.We had a future jobs fun. It is going to be interesting if we see
:53:50. > :53:56.some of the things Labour was to ring being recycled back as a
:53:57. > :54:02.government initiative. Let's pay homage to Jimmy Savile. Instead of
:54:02. > :54:08.Jim'll Fix It, let's have George will fix it. What would you like to
:54:08. > :54:12.see him say? If we get moving on the Humber Bridge - and I should
:54:12. > :54:18.thank Caroline because I quoted Herring might LX and speech - she
:54:18. > :54:22.said we would never do anything on the Humber Bridge. Reduce VAT, get
:54:22. > :54:25.another bankers' bonus to fund houses and jobs, reduce VAT on home
:54:25. > :54:30.improvements to get construction work in, get infrastructure prods
:54:30. > :54:36.it's going and make sure we have a budget statement that will do