Unions attack spending cuts on government's 100th day

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(Reuters) - Britain's trade unions launched an attack on public spending cuts to mark the coalition's 100th day in office, setting the scene for an autumn battle with the government as it reveals where the axe will fall.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat government has pledged to cut departmental spending by at least 25 percent as it tackles a budget deficit running at around 11 percent of national output.

Unions warned the government's austerity measures, which are expected to result in around 600,000 public sector job losses, risked pushing the British economy back into recession.

While some savings were outlined in an emergency budget in June, the bulk of cuts will be set out in a spending review on October 20, a day on which unions have promised protests.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC), which represents 6.5 million workers, called on the government to reconsider its planned cuts to public services and focus instead on other ways to reduce the deficit, such as a tax on financial institutions for foreign exchange, derivatives trading and share transactions.

"Before the election we were told that cuts could be achieved through efficiency savings, that the most vulnerable would be protected and front-line services preserved. These pledges have not lasted 100 days," said TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.

"There is an alternative with policies designed to promote growth and to close the deficit with taxes that target those who did so well out of the boom years and have already escaped the recession."

The TUC, which said it had identified more than 100 unfair cuts made during the coalition's first 100 days, has joined with charities such as Oxfam to call for a fairness test to guarantee budget cuts do not hit the lowest paid workers hardest.

Cutbacks to a scheme which helped unemployed people in deprived areas get jobs and the cancellation of a planned extension to free school meals for low paid families are among some of the unfair reductions already made, the TUC said.

"These cuts are doing the opposite of what the Government intends," said Barber. "Far from securing the economic recovery, they are slamming on the economic brakes. Growth will be well below potential and there is growing risk of a double-dip recession."