The largest public sector trade union says that up to 30,000 public sector jobs under threat from budget cuts can be saved in Northern Ireland, if the government focus on recovering lost taxes.
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DUP/SF cuts divide
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Union in cuts warning
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Analysis
NIPSA has warned that thousands of workers in Northern Ireland could lose their jobs over the next four years as the Executive implements savings in the region of £2bn.
In a new report, 'The Case for Public Services in Northern Ireland', the organisation argues that job cuts can be avoided if the Executive focus instead on taxes.
"Rather than introducing a budget which will impact negatively on the ordinary people, what the Government should have done is introduced a progressive taxation of the wealthy," NIPSA General Secretary Brian Campfield told UTV.
"Revenues and Customs should go after the billions of pounds of unpaid tax lost to the public purse every year as a result of tax avoidance, tax evasion and unpaid taxes."
Mr Campfield said industrial action is inevitable if massive public expenditure cuts are implemented.
"We know that by cutting public service jobs, money will leave the economy. By cutting capital spending, the private sector will be damaged and jobs will be lost in the private sector. The logic behind cutting the public sector so the private sector might grow is nonsense and will be proved to be nonsense as we head deeper into recession," he said.
The report, which was released in Londonderry on Wednesday, was commissioned by NIPSA from the Trademark organisation.
NIPSA says it will "campaign vigorously to defend both jobs and services".
Earlier this week First Minister Peter Robinson warned that the budget cuts will have a "devastating" impact on the local economy.
© UTV News