TUC supports national minimum wage

BUSINESS leaders are lost for words as the TUC congress in Liverpool supported Usdaw's call for strengthening of the national minimum wage.  Many are now asking id both the government and also the unions have lost the plot.  With the lack of cash in the economy many see the call for higher wages as mad.  The Usdaw General Secretary, John Hannett, at the Liverpool conference has called for:-

• A significant increase in all the Minimum Wage levels and for the adult rate to be paid at 18.
• A new National Minimum Apprenticeship rate.
• Further strengthening of the enforcement mechanism.
• Widening it to cover those workers such as seafarers and interns who are currently excluded.
• And to use a higher Minimum Wage as part of a package aimed at tackling child poverty."

at the conference on Wednesday, 16 September 2009, John Hannett also added that:- "The National Minimum Wage has been a huge success, pushing up the wages of the lowest paid, particularly benefiting women and part-time workers.  Yet its introduction ten years ago was opposed by the Tories.  We must be vigilant against any attacks on the Minimum Wage.  That's why we support Wage Concern, a pressure group dedicating to fighting on this very issue.  When they were last in government, the Tories abolished the wages councils and did little to help low paid workers; a stark difference with Labour, which has continued to help the low paid and hard working families.  We are also urging the Labour government to introduce a series of measures that develop the Minimum Wage and make further inroads into tackling low pay and areas associated with it.  The National Minimum Wage is something we can all be proud of, which remains a major campaign of the trade union movement.  It has become one of the most important pieces of socially progressive legislation ever passed in this country and we will be campaigning hard for it to be further improved under a fourth term Labour government."

Even employees in small businesses are starting to question this idea, as they see more and more jobs go.  What are your views? Email our newsroom and let us know what you think.  News24@southportreporter.com Have we gone to far now or not far enough?

Also at the TUC conference in Liverpool, Usdaw renewed its call on the government to come down hard on administrators which flout the law. Paddy Lillis, Usdaw Deputy General Secretary, said:- "The recession over the last 12 months has meant tough times for workers faced with job losses and insecurity. Usdaw has represented thousands of members who faced uncertain futures as employers' businesses have gone into administration. In the most high profile business collapse 30,000 workers lost their jobs as Woolworths went bust. In most of our dealings with administrators we have seen no meaningful consultation with employees and their trade union representatives. Usdaw is pursuing the administrators through the courts to get compensation for workers over the lack of consultation. The reality is that in the majority of administration situations, the administrators have shown a total disregard for workers jobs. Usdaw believes that administrators need to be under a greater legal obligation to explore all options to save the business and avoid redundancies. We also believe there should be a stronger legal duty on administrators to enter into meaningful consultation with the workforce and their trade union reps. The events of the last year have also highlighted weaknesses in Statutory Redundancy Pay. We welcome the Government announcement that the weekly earnings limit will be increasing to £380. However, we believe that all workers should have a right to redundancy pay from day one of their employment."

QUEST TO FIND MERSEYSIDE’S TRANSPORT SUPERSTARS

ARE you a school, organisation or business in Merseyside that’s encouraging healthier, greener transport choices? As the search for this year’s transport ‘superstars’ begins, you could win an award for helping to achieve a more sustainable transport future for the region.

Organised by the Merseyside Transport Partnership, the annual Merseyside Transport Awards - now in their third year, have been created to celebrate the individuals, schools and businesses in Merseyside that are actively encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport and making it easier to choose healthy, convenient ways of getting around.

Entries are being sought for eight award categories, from the best school travel plan, to the top overall sustainable transport initiative. Nominees could include colleagues who have set up car sharing schemes, or schools where parents are making a conscious effort to switch to walking, cycling or public transport, instead of driving their children to school.

Last year’s winners included Liverpool PCT, the University of Liverpool and the Iliad Developments Group. The awards also recognised the huge contribution that schools are making to the future of sustainable transport, with St Christopher's Primary School, St Margaret's C of E High School, West Kirby Primary School and Dawpool C of E Primary School all picking up prizes.

Neil Scales, Chair of the Merseyside Transport Partnership, said:- “The Merseyside Transport Awards highlight the fantastic work that is taking place across the city region to create a more sustainable transport network for the future. By encouraging people to change their travel habits and consider options such as using public transport, cycling or walking, these individuals and organisations are supporting the vision of an integrated transport network that is accessible to all and that helps create a better environment for everyone. The awards are now in their third year and we look forward to receiving this year’s entries.”

The award categories are:-

► TravelWise Award 2009 – for the best overall sustainable transport initiative

► TravelWise School 2009 – for best school travel plan

► TravelWise Organisation 2009 – for best travel plan

► FreightWise Award 2009 – for the best freight initiative

► BikeWise Award 2009 – best cycling initiative or achievement

► WalkWise Award 2009 – best walking initiative or achievement

► Going the Extra Mile Award 2009 – for outstanding customer service by an operator

► TravelWise Development 2009 – for good transport design in a new building / scheme.

The closing date for entries is 25 September. An entry form and details on how to enter can be found at:- LetsTravelWise.org  or by calling 0151 330 1253.

The winners will be unveiled at the Merseyside Transport Conference at FACT on 13 October 2009.