TUC - More Than Half Of Business Leaders (59%) Say They Are Losing Staff Time Due To Poor State Of Public Services

28th October 2024

A New Poll Of Business Leaders reveals public services causing problem for businesses and staff.

94% say public services important to success of the UK economy.

81% say public services important to success of their business.

89% say improvements to public services should be a high priority for the government.

Nearly 6 out of 10 (59%) business leaders say that staff have had to take time off in the last year because of problems accessing public services, according to new TUC polling published today (Monday).

The poll of over 500 business leaders shows that they say staff have been absent due to the following public service pressures:

Waiting for hospital treatment (35%)

Caring for a relative who lacked adequate provision of adult social care (20%)

Waiting for mental health care (17%)

Unable to access suitable childcare (17%)

Looking after a child with special educational needs (16%)

Waiting for a work visa to be processed (13%)

The TUC says that these responses reflect the toxic legacy inherited from the Conservatives by the new government.

This legacy includes record NHS waiting times, shortfalls in mental health provision, childcare deserts where supply falls short of demand, staff recruitment and retention problems across many public services, and too few school places for children with special educational needs.

The union body is calling on the government to fix the foundations of the economy by repairing our public services so that working days and productivity are no longer lost to these problems.

Business support for improving public services

Today's poll shows how dependent businesses are on public services, and that they see improvements as a high priority for the government:

Over 9 in 10 (94%) say high quality public services are important to the success of the economy

Around 8 in 10 (81%) say high quality public services are important to the success of their business

Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) say improvements to public services should be a high priority for the government

The poll found large majorities of business leaders saying that improvement would benefit their business in the following areas:

Greater NHS capacity so that medical appointments and treatments can be accessed faster (69%)

Better quality schools so that more school leavers have a high standard of basic skills relevant to my business (66%)

More extensive public transport networks with more frequent services (65%)

Better funded industry regulators (63%)

Greater availability of affordable childcare for working parents (60%)

Greater investment in public spaces (60%)

Call for action in the budget

The TUC welcomes the Labour government's commitments to address the recruitment and retention crisis across our public sector, including funding to recruit 6,500 more teachers to address the shortages that have affected many schools.

The union body is calling for further action with an investment budget to repair public services and upgrade public infrastructure, along with action to improve public services through:

A Public Sector Workforce Commission to tackle the key challenges facing the public sector workforce, and to advise the government to drive improvements and deliver services as effectively as possible. 

Fair pay setting in the public sector, including reform of pay review bodies to improve workforce representation, transparency, timeliness and political impendence. 

Fairer taxes, so that those who make their incomes from wealth rather than work make a fair contribution to funding improvements to our public services.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

"A country with great public services is a great place to do business. You've got a healthy and skilled workforce, travel is fast and reliable, and your workers can access the care services they and their families need.

"But the Conservatives left our public services in complete disrepair. Our polling shows that more than half of businesses report losing staff time because they have problems accessing vital public services. This is having a massive impact on working people, companies, and the economy.

"It’s time to fix the foundations of our economy - and that means fixing our public services. The Chancellor knows already how desperate people are for an end to NHS waiting lists, and access to affordable childcare and decent schools. She clearly has the green light from businesses to prioritise public services too."

- About the poll: The survey was conducted by Opinium between 12-17 October 2024. It consisted of a nationally representative sample of 501 senior decision makers for UK businesses. The sample included representation of all sizes of business, from sole traders, through small and medium enterprises, up to large companies.

- TUC Budget submission: The TUC submission to the Treasury calls for the Chancellor to end the age of short-termism under the Conservatives, and to deliver an investment budget that can boost growth, revive industry and repair public services. The full submission is linked to in the notes here:
https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/labours-first-budget-must-end-britains-age-short-termism-says-tuc