The Employment Opportunities Bill, tabled by Senior Conservative Christopher Chope, who as a minister helped bring in the Poll Tax, is timetabled for its second reading in Parliament next Friday 15 May.
During the Bill’s first reading, Mr Chope said it will: “introduce more freedom, flexibility and opportunity for those seeking employment in the public and private sectors.”
The bill, which is supported by ten other Tory MPs, aims to:
- allow employees to opt-out of the minimum wage
- ensure all public sector jobs are advertised openly
- grant the ‘right to work’ under the Declaration of Human Rights by allowing workers to be paid less than the minimum wage
The minimum wage provides income protection and security for millions of workers. It stops unscrupulous employers from driving down wages across the board. The new Tory ‘Employment Opportunities Bill’ would allow employers to opt out of their responsibility to their staff to pay a fair days wage for a fair day’s work and effectively bring an end to the National Minimum Wage.
“This shows the Tories in their true light and is a little insight into what a Conservative Government would do. They are still fighting the battles of the 1980s and 90s when they abolished the wages councils and left millions of workers without wage protection. David Cameron talks about an age of austerity, well we now know that he means it for low-paid workers.
There is always pressure on wages and the minimum wage is needed to ensure people are paid fairly.
I urge anyone who cares about the protection of our workforce to log on to www.wageconcern.com and sign the petition to save our minimum wage.”
John Prescott, whose first job 55 years ago was working as a chef at the Patten Arms in Warrington on £2 7d a week in a job protected by the Wages Council Act, added:
“Only a Tory could suggest that not being able to work for less than minimum wage would be a denial of Human Rights. This from a party that actually wants to abolish the Human Rights Act and provide cheaper labour.
“We call on everyone who believes in fairness and social justice to join Wage Concern and help us kill this Tory Bill on May 15th.”
Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:
“Christopher Chope and his Tory cabal want to turn the clock back to the days of poverty pay where workers are exploited by unscrupulous bosses. The sham Caring Conservatism is stripped bare by their plans. They have shown clearly that they are not on the side of ordinary hard-working people.
“The minimum wage is a symbol of a civilised society, a floor to protect workers that gives them dignity. It is needed more than ever in tough economic times. And isn’t it typical of the Tories that their response to the recession is to rob the poor to keep the rich?
We fought long and hard to establish the statutory national minimum wage, in the teeth of opposition and unfounded scaremongering about massive job losses. Any attempt to dilute or abolish it will be resisted.
Wage Concern is a grassroots campaign to stop that bill - and needs your help.
Let’s show the Tories we don’t support their ridiculous, dangerous and immoral position by:
1. Signing the petition here
2. Joining the campaign mailing list here
3. Getting your friends to join the Facebook group
4. Lobby your MP here
5. Kill this Tory Bill on Friday 15th May.
Kill This Tory Bill
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1 hour ago
17 comments:
Cllr Green
D0 you think that Steve Ladyman MP should resign from his position as a local president of the Royal British Legion after voting against the rights of the Gurkhas ?
Its a bit like a vicar voting against the choir!
DR LADYMAN MP and President of local Royal British Legion votes against Gurhkas rights!
Should STEVE LADYMAN stand down as president of Royal British Legion? (read about it on page 35 of KENT ON SUNDAY- view online)
I am a life long socialist and I respect the Labour MPs that voted for Gurhkas rights, but the one person that should of protected the Gurhkas went against them. SHAME ON YOU STEVE!
STEVE LADYMAN MP NEEDS TO BE KICKED OUT OF THE RBL for voting against the very people he was chosen to speak up for!
HE HAS SHAMED THE LEGION!
KM news
A Gurkha has been killed in action in Afghanistan.
He has been named locally as Corporal Kumar Purja Pun, who lived in Dover with his wife, Paru Pun and two young daughters.
It is believed Cpl Pun was killed by a suicide bomber in Gereshk.
A member of the First Gurkha Rifles, Cpl Pun was serving with Foxtrot Company, part of the Second RGR based at Folkestone.
Cpl Pun had signed up to the army in 1996, and was killed on Thursday.
Cllr Dhan Gurung, of Folkestone Town Council, paid tribute to the soldier and said his death had touched everybody.
"This is a terrible, terrible tragedy," he said. "People are so shocked and it is not just within the Gurkha community that his death will be felt, but everbody in Dover and Folkestone.
"The family have my greatest condolences."
An item hi-jacked by the local Tory election machine...
Given that every indication is the Tories will sweep the board at the coming elections, why are they so desperate and frenetic in your posting and campaigning?
And how fortunate they have the Gurkhas as their latest bandwagon of cheap insincerity.Of course, their attitude to immigranst generally is "send them home" and "keep them out", and their local Tory blogs blame them for all the area's ills. Yet put them in a miltary uniform, and everything changes.
10 May, 2009 14:59
An item hi-jacked by the local Tory election machine... NO
WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
I vote UKIP not that its any of your business.
MANY OF THE MPs that voted against GORDON BROWN on this issue were in fact LABOUR MPs
THIS IS A NON-PARTY POLITICAL ISSUE!
Anon 17.43, UKIP is only a few steps short of the BNP in many policy areas, so I think my point still stands.
Gordon's Labour Party is only a few steps short of the Communist party in many policy areas...
My position in the Royal British Legion is strictly non-political and I try to keep it that way. The role of the President is to be a person of standing' in the community, to raise the profile of the Legion and to advise the executive committee as needed. I promised when I took up the role I would not exploit it in any way for political purposes and I don't. Unfortunately, some other people, of opposing political views, do try and exploit my position with this sort of comment, however, I note they lack the courage to put their own name to their comments.
As for the Gurkhas, I have not read the local papers this weekend as I have been away so don't know what they say. The facts are these:
I was very concerned about the Government proposals and refused to vote for them. After a frantic afternoon of negotiation the Home Secretary recognised the concerns that some of us on the Labour benches had and made a series of concessions. These were summarised in a letter that was circulated about an hour BEFORE the vote. That letter promised that no Gurkhas would be deported, that the facts and figures being quoted would be reviewed and a new set of rules drawn up to deal with the pre-1997 service Gurkhas in Nepal. In other words, everything that campaigners were asking for was conceded before the vote so I was then able to vote for the Government. Unfortunately, for the Government some of my colleagues did not get the letter in time and voted against which is why the vote was lost.
I would also add that Lord Brammall, former Chief of the Defence Staff who served with the Gurkhas wrote an article in the Independent against the idea that the Government should change its position. Here is the link for those who really want to be informed on this issue:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/edwin-bramall-dont-be-sentimental-we-have-treated-the-gurkhas-well-1674259.html
I wonder, does 'anonymouse' also think Lord Brammall should resign from the Legion?
Steve Ladyman
Anon of 13.45, most critics of Labour claim that the Party has lost its way and moved away from its left-wing roots. Many claim that there is no clear blue water between their policies and those of the Tory Party. How on earth can you therefore align Labour's policies with those of the Communist Party?
The UKIP/BNP link is much more obvious, however. Both are anti-European and xenophobic. Both appear to promote the "Britain for the (usually white) British" dogma.
To: Anonymous 11 May, 2009 16:49
If your simple way of thinking is anything to go by, the white MPs that voted against the Gurkas could fit in with the BNP then!
STEVE LADYMAN PUT A SPIN ON IT AND BLAMES BROWN - go on Ladyman kick Brown while he's down, but it won't change the FACT that you CHOSE to vote the way you did!
YOU ARE NOT FIT TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF RBL RAMSGATE let alone RBL MARGATE.
Anon of 21.51, you are simply trying to make something political around a non-political role. You are seeking to make cheap political points to benefit the political party you support - and you're right it is no-one's business whom you support, but you introduced the information.
Whether you truly care about the Gurkha issue only you can know.
Unlike you and Ladyman I do care
Don't make assumptions about other people's views and opinions, 18.36. And don't criticise others for not jumping on your bandwagon; they may have considered reasons for deciding it's not for them.
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