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Prosperity and Work
Workers rights briefing September 2006
Three 2005 Manifesto Commitments Delivered
Legislate from 2006 to outlaw age discrimination at work DELIVERED
Increase paid maternity leave from 6 months to 9 months DELIVERED
Raise the national minimum wage to £5.35 per hour by 2006 DELIVERED
Labour is building on our strong record of delivering rights for people at work, with a set of new rights introduced from 1 October this year.
A whole generation of older workers will be protected through outlawing age discrimination at work:
- Up to 400,000 new mums will benefit from longer maternity leave
- 1.3 million people will get an immediate pay rise thanks to an increase in the national minimum wage
Labour has achieved a major extension of workplace rights at the same time as achieving the highest ever employment levels. Since 1997, we have introduced the minimum wage, the right to request flexible working, paternity leave and time off for family emergencies.
At Labour Party Conference, Alistair Darling said
‘When the Tories opposed flexible working, we did what was right. Now twice as many mothers work flexi-time and we will extend this right to those caring for elderly parents.When the Tories opposed longer maternity leave with more pay, we sided with families. And we will ensure that mothers can spend the whole first year with their child.We have shown how in today’s world we can compete on quality and excellence in a global marketplace and at the same time secure fairness in the workplace.”
The Tories
David Cameron is trying to change his party’s image, but under the surface the substance remains the same.
Still attacking the minimum wage
Contrasting with the slick new PR, David Cameron put John Redwood in charge of making recommendations on Tory economic policy. This week his Commission published its first ‘Progress Report’ claiming that ‘minimum wages and other labour market regulation has been the last straw for hard pressed lower end industries’ (29 September 2006).The Tories and David Cameron campaigned against the introduction of minimum wage, predicting it would ‘send unemployment straight back up.’ They were wrong then and they’re wrong now.[David Cameron, The Chronicle (Stafford), 21 Feb 1996]
No help for working families
David Cameron has tried to get good media coverage by talking about families. But when it comes to policy substance he voted against Labour’s measures on maternity and paternity leave and the very right to request flexibility working he is now claiming to champion.
And he still opposed giving people enforceable rights in the work place – calling instead for ‘exhortation not regulation’ – and attacking Labour’s family-friendly legislation as ‘ineffective’ and ‘can end up damaging our competitiveness’. If he believes this, he should come clean about which of our measures he intends to reverse.[David Cameron, Speech to Google Zeitgeist Europe 2006, 22 May 2006]
National Minimum Wage
Country or Region Number of people who will benefit from increasing the national minimum wage
Wales 80,000
Scotland 140,000
Northern Ireland 20,000
England 1,090,000
North East 80,000
North West 170,000
Yorkshire 140,000
East Midlands 110,000
West Midlands 150,000
Eastern 110,000
London 90,000
South East 120,000
South West 120,000
United Kingdom 1,320,000
From this week, Labour’s National Minimum Wage will rise to £5.35 per hour today, benefiting over 1.3 million workers. Before the National Minimum Wage was introduced, wages of as little as £1.20 per hour were common and legal.
Labour’s National Minimum Wage has already made a significant difference – lifting families out of poverty by making work pay.
From October 1st 2006:
The adult rate will increase from £5.05 to £5.35 per hour
The 18-21 year old rate will increase from £4.25 to £4.45
The 16-17 year old rate will increase from £3.00 to £3.30
Against the predictions of the Tories, Labour has delivered a rising minimum wage at the same time as achieving the highest employment level ever, with 2.4 million more people in work than in 1997 and unemployment close to its lowest for around 30 years.
It is vital, now that a fair and rising minimum wage is in place, that bad employers aren’t allowed to undermine good ones by disobeying the law. Labour is trialling a targeted enforcement programme in the hairdressing sector, known to be low paying with disproportionate non-compliance with the minimum wage.
Anyone not receiving the National Minimum Wage should phone the national helpline the Government has set up – 0845 6000 678.
Family Friendly Working
This week, new rights will come into force to help mothers spend more time with their newborn babies during the vital early days of a child’s development.
From this week, up to 400,000 working mothers will benefit from:
- Statutory maternity pay, maternity allowance and statutory adoption pay will increase from six to nine months for babies due on or after 1 April 2007 or adoption placements from that date.
- Following consultations with businesses, Labour is introducing ‘Keeping in Touch’ days – facilitating voluntary arrangements between women on maternity leave and their employers so that new mums can go into work for occasional days during their leave to stay in touch with developments at work.
- Simplified administration of maternity payments, allowing employers to adjust them in line with their normal payroll procedures
This is the first step towards the Government’s aim of introducing 12 months paid maternity leave, compared to just 14 weeks in 1997. Maternity leave was only £55 per week, compared to £106 per week now.
New Rights for Working Parents Since 1997
Right to request flexible working for parents of children under 6
Opposed by the Tories
Two weeks paid paternity leave
Opposed by the Tories
Adoption leave introduced for the first time, at the same level as Maternity and Paternity pay and leave
Opposed by the Tories
Parental Leave up to 13 weeks from 1999
Opposed by the Tories
Time off for family emergencies
Opposed by the Tories
Age Discrimination
New laws, coming into effect this week, will protect workers of all ages from discrimination in their workplace. In just 15 years, the over 50s will make up more than a third of the workforce – it would be completely wrong to ignore that whole generation.
With many people living longer and remaining much fitter later in life, it is right to make sure they are not met with discrimination and prejudice at work.
The new protections, coming into force this week, will:
- End age discrimination in recruitment, promotion and training
- Ban unjustified retirement ages of below 65
- Remove current age limits for unfair dismissal and redundancy rights
- Give employees the right to request working beyond retirement age
None of these regulations will affect the age at which people can claim their state pension