‘Truss won’t solve anything by attacking trade unions’

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Leaving the country rudderless all summer at a time of great emergency has been nothing short of a national disgrace.

“The Government has got to get back to governing immediately. Liz Truss must do what should’ve happened months ago and deliver help to the millions unable to cope with their crushing bills.

“Many family finances may never recover without an urgent assistance plan. Tackling the cost-of-living crisis must be the prime minister’s number one priority, not wasting precious time attacking unions for trying to help working people through the pain.

“Hard on the heels of an energy lifeline must be an above-inflation wage rise for the public services currently haemorrhaging staff to better-paying parts of the economy.

“If there’s no-one left to run the hospitals, schools, town halls, police stations and care homes communities rely on, we’ll all be done for.

“Cutting taxes only assists the better-off. It won’t help the hospital porters, teaching assistants, care staff or other low-paid workers one bit.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Liz Truss will not solve the cost-of-living crisis by attacking trade unions and making it even easier for bad bosses to do as they please.

“At a time when we face a national pay cut, the prime minister should be taking on the corporate profiteers that are pushing up prices, not workers fighting to stand still.

“Attempts to place effective industrial action outside of the law are a direct assault on the democratic rights of the British people and will be met with fierce, prolonged resistance.”

Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Manuel Cortes said the new Conservative Party leader had “offered nothing” to deal with the economic crisis during a leadership contest which had been “a charade about which candidate is the best Thatcherite”.

He said: “Liz Truss has offered nothing to date which suggests she, or her party, have a clue about how to deal with soaring energy prices, inflation and much more, including giving our members a pay rise which stops them becoming poorer.”