By . Becky Barrow . PUBLISHED: . 06:34 EST, 11 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:02 EST, 11 September 2012 . Ed Balls was heckled by union activists yesterday after supporting the Government’s decision to impose a pay freeze on state workers. Speaking at the Trades Union Congress, the Shadow Chancellor faced shouts of ‘shame on you’ after admitting he would not reverse the freeze. Later the TUC voted overwhelmingly to start planning the ‘practicalities’ of the first general strike in Britain since 1926. Scroll down to see the video . Labour's Ed Balls told the TUC conference in Brighton that securing jobs was more important than big pay rises for the public sector . Mr Balls, who is a member of the two . biggest unions, Unite and Unison, refused to support the clamour from . the party’s union backers to reject the pay freeze. Public sector workers who earn . £21,000 or more are subject to a two-year freeze, while local government . workers are subject to a three-year freeze. Official figures show the average . public sector worker with a full-time job earns £28,668, compared with . £24,787 in the private sector. During a question-and-answer session . at the annual conference in Brighton, the biggest cheer went to Liz . Cameron, 49, a youth services worker from Salford, who criticised Mr . Balls and Labour leader Ed Miliband for supporting the freeze, and spoke . of the daily struggle she faces to make ends meet. Mrs Cameron, who has . four children, said thousands of care workers, dinner ladies and . teaching assistants were in a similar situation to her. She said: ‘What is the response from . our Labour Party? Why is it we hear you [Ed Balls] and Ed Miliband talk . about supporting this Tory pay freeze when I’m having to make hardline . decisions. Unions are threatening more strike action in opposition to the government's spending cuts and job losses. ‘We are fighting to makes ends meet. No new school uniform, whether or not I can pay my heating bills, . whether or not I can choose to buy food. ‘How on earth do you expect to get . the support of hundreds of thousands of public service workers when you . continue to repeat that position?’ But Mr Balls ignored her plea, . insisting that the pay freeze is the only sensible option during the . longest and deepest downturn for more than a century, prompting jeers . from union members. ‘When you are losing hundreds of . thousands of jobs, we can’t with credibility say the first priority is . more pay for existing workers when hundreds of thousands of people are . losing their jobs,’ he said. ‘That is the reality. I want things to be . done in a fairer way but I don’t think we can argue pay before jobs. We . have got to say jobs before pay.’ Mr Balls, who joked about his status . as one of Britain’s most annoying MPs, also criticised the plans by . unions to co-ordinate devastating strike action in the coming months. He said: ‘I’m sure the last thing . that the vast majority of trade union members want at times of such . uncertainty in our economy is strikes. It is not what we want. It is not . what the public want.’ 'We are at our best fighting back' Steve Turner, executive policy director of Unite . Mr Balls added: ‘When Coalition . ministers warn they will have to act and legislate if they are to see a . return to the unrest of the 1980s what we are really seeing is Tories . itching to provoke a row about strikes so they can blame the stalling . recovery on trade union members and working people.’ But later, after a heated debate, . union members cheered enthusiastically after controversially agreeing to . start plotting the logistics of a nationwide walkout in protest at . spending cuts. If it goes ahead, a general strike . would wipe out vital services, with workers including teachers, prison . guards, firemen,  nurses, dinner ladies and paramedics likely to walk . out. Yesterday’s vote is a huge . embarrassment for Labour as the motion was supported by its biggest . donor, Unite. Latest figures show that between April and June, Unite . handed over £840,725, equal to more than a quarter of all the money the . party received. Steve Turner, executive policy . director of Unite, insisted it would be ‘a betrayal of our . responsibilities’ if unions did not support the strike plan. ‘We are at our best fighting back, roaring like lions, not cowering in corners,’ he said. VIDEO: Unison delegate Liz Cameron demands to know why Ed Balls supports policy of public sector pay freezes .
Shadow chancellor is booed at TUC conference for supporting government policy .
Labour warns the unions that strikes will mark a return to 1980s-style 'hatred and division'
But TUC votes to explore 'practicalities of a general strike' as union leaders vow to 'roar like lions'
By . Becky Barrow . PUBLISHED: . 06:34 EST, 11 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:02 EST, 11 September 2012 . Ed Balls was heckled by union activists yesterday after supporting the Government’s decision to impose a pay freeze on state workers. Speaking at the Trades Union Congress, the Shadow Chancellor faced shouts of ‘shame on you’ after admitting he would not reverse the freeze. Later the TUC voted overwhelmingly to start planning the ‘practicalities’ of the first general strike in Britain since 1926. Scroll down to see the video . Labour's Ed Balls told the TUC conference in Brighton that securing jobs was more important than big pay rises for the public sector . Mr Balls, who is a member of the two . biggest unions, Unite and Unison, refused to support the clamour from . the party’s union backers to reject the pay freeze. Public sector workers who earn . £21,000 or more are subject to a two-year freeze, while local government . workers are subject to a three-year freeze. Official figures show the average . public sector worker with a full-time job earns £28,668, compared with . £24,787 in the private sector. During a question-and-answer session . at the annual conference in Brighton, the biggest cheer went to Liz . Cameron, 49, a youth services worker from Salford, who criticised Mr . Balls and Labour leader Ed Miliband for supporting the freeze, and spoke . of the daily struggle she faces to make ends meet. Mrs Cameron, who has . four children, said thousands of care workers, dinner ladies and . teaching assistants were in a similar situation to her. She said: ‘What is the response from . our Labour Party? Why is it we hear you [Ed Balls] and Ed Miliband talk . about supporting this Tory pay freeze when I’m having to make hardline . decisions. Unions are threatening more strike action in opposition to the government's spending cuts and job losses. ‘We are fighting to makes ends meet. No new school uniform, whether or not I can pay my heating bills, . whether or not I can choose to buy food. ‘How on earth do you expect to get . the support of hundreds of thousands of public service workers when you . continue to repeat that position?’ But Mr Balls ignored her plea, . insisting that the pay freeze is the only sensible option during the . longest and deepest downturn for more than a century, prompting jeers . from union members. ‘When you are losing hundreds of . thousands of jobs, we can’t with credibility say the first priority is . more pay for existing workers when hundreds of thousands of people are . losing their jobs,’ he said. ‘That is the reality. I want things to be . done in a fairer way but I don’t think we can argue pay before jobs. We . have got to say jobs before pay.’ Mr Balls, who joked about his status . as one of Britain’s most annoying MPs, also criticised the plans by . unions to co-ordinate devastating strike action in the coming months. He said: ‘I’m sure the last thing . that the vast majority of trade union members want at times of such . uncertainty in our economy is strikes. It is not what we want. It is not . what the public want.’ 'We are at our best fighting back' Steve Turner, executive policy director of Unite . Mr Balls added: ‘When Coalition . ministers warn they will have to act and legislate if they are to see a . return to the unrest of the 1980s what we are really seeing is Tories . itching to provoke a row about strikes so they can blame the stalling . recovery on trade union members and working people.’ But later, after a heated debate, . union members cheered enthusiastically after controversially agreeing to . start plotting the logistics of a nationwide walkout in protest at . spending cuts. If it goes ahead, a general strike . would wipe out vital services, with workers including teachers, prison . guards, firemen,  nurses, dinner ladies and paramedics likely to walk . out. Yesterday’s vote is a huge . embarrassment for Labour as the motion was supported by its biggest . donor, Unite. Latest figures show that between April and June, Unite . handed over £840,725, equal to more than a quarter of all the money the . party received. Steve Turner, executive policy . director of Unite, insisted it would be ‘a betrayal of our . responsibilities’ if unions did not support the strike plan. ‘We are at our best fighting back, roaring like lions, not cowering in corners,’ he said. VIDEO: Unison delegate Liz Cameron demands to know why Ed Balls supports policy of public sector pay freezes .
‘practicalities’ of the first general strike in . Labour's Ed Balls told the TUC conference in leader Ed Miliband for supporting the freeze, and continue to repeat that position?’ But Mr Balls to see a . return to the unrest of the 1980s what . embarrassment for Labour as the motion was roaring like lions, not cowering in corners,’ he