The cost-of-living crisis has been going on for too long with working people now £1,600 per year worse off on average.
Although the Government/Tories claim that everything is fixed you and I know that parts of Bridgwater and West Somerset Constituency are struggling and are yet to see any upturn at all. Local people have told me, and I agree with them, that our area has the strength and will to grow economically if only it was given the means and the opportunity. I’m proud of our area and I know what it’s capable of achieving, given the chance.
The Tory-led government is incapable of dealing with the long-term economic challenges we face because it’s committed to a race to the bottom built on low pay, low skills, low prospects and low productivity.
More Apprenticeships and Higher Skilled Jobs
The way to make a real difference in people’s lives is to make sure the economy works for working people. So the next Labour government will build a highly skilled, higher wage economy. This will mean more apprenticeships and higher skilled jobs in sectors like construction trades, health and caring professions and the technology sector.
Cllr Mick Lerry said: “But this can’t just be imposed from Westminster – real change needs local people to make the difference and create the jobs we need. That’s why Ed Miliband has announced that Labour will back city and county regions to become engines of growth so we can develop our own economic strategies, clearly focused on the creation of well-paid, highly-skilled jobs for people in our area”.
As part of this, Labour will give new city and county regions the power to keep any additional business rates income they can generate use it to invest locally in measures to boost growth, such as new housing and infrastructure, and to give local workers the skills and training they need to succeed.
Cllr Mick Lerry stated: “ Ian Liddell-Grainger MP has asked for Sedgemoor District Council to finance a feasibility Study of the Tidal Lagoon costing £1.6 million of Council Tax money, when he should be pressing the Government to devolve funding to Local Authorities to fund such projects, why should the local Council Tax payer have to fund major infrastructure developments”.
Unleashing the potential of our cities and regions
“We will expand high-quality apprenticeships for school-leavers in science, technology, engineering and maths so that our young people will be equipped for the high-quality jobs of the future. We want those that will drive these big changes to be fully involved so we will also give local businesses a direct say in how to grow the local economy and what the priorities should be”, said Mick Lerry.
The cost of living crisis is far from over. Too many hardworking people on lower and middle incomes are still locked out of the economic recovery and are unlikely to feel the benefits under this Tory-led government.
Cllr. Mick Lerry said: “By unleashing the potential of our cities and regions so they can be the drivers of economic growth, we can tackle the cost of living crisis and ensure we all benefit from our future economic prosperity”.
July 3rd 2014
Cllr Mick Lerry – Leader of the Labour Group on Sedgemoor District Council
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset Constituency
Mobile: 07775 905080
Email: michael.lerry@btinternet.com
Until very recent times no one, from the working and lower middle class had ever heard of internships. Working for nothing was never an option for many people as work has expenses that people need to cover before they break even, whether is be traveling fairs, lunches, laundry and dry cleaning etc.
However in todays changing work environment where divide and rule seems the key to big profits to the shareholders and company directors. Get your workers working harder, faster and for less money and internships provide a ready supply of free labour, as gone are the days of plentiful apprenticeships.
I think we all know that in most towns the partners and directors of firms like legal practices, accountancy firms, general services and light engineering companies know who they will employ as future partners and directors and its usually there own sons and daughters or their friends networking via the old school tie. Something that former ‘Ships Steward’ John Prescott would have much to say about and I must say its very hard to see another Ships Steward rising to become Deputy Prime Minister these daysin the House of Commons! Eton and Oxbridge seems to be the requisite requirements as our current Prime Minster and Chancellor so readily portray.
But to return to apprenticeships which in the good old days of British manufacturing, these ran for about four years, usually from the age of sixteen to twenty. The trades such as plumber, electrician, mechanic, carpenter and gardener usually required taking apprentices from knowing virtually nothing to being experiences tradesman during that period with day release during the academic period for the theory of the trade and business.
The starting salary or wage was low to cover the apprentices traveling expenses and incidentals that occur during the working week. The wage would increase year on year as was right as the apprentices gained more experience and of course became more productive.
There is an overhead for companies to run apprenticeship schemes but it was considered the right way to acquire and train the workforce of the future and was generally fully supported by trades unions and management organisations to ensure a credible, certifiable and skilled workforce. Here diversity and awareness could be instilled into the young person during this training period, setting him up well for many of life’s challenges.
But in these cost cutting times I fail to see the current use of internships other than a way to gain entry into employment that would have been best achieved via a properly managed apprenticeship or graduate training scheme. This would be fair to both the apprentice/graduate and the company providing the training and possible future employment.
To offer apprenticeships that last twenty-six weeks and no onward employment to consolidate the knowledge is in my view worthless and does the young person no good at all.
Unless we address our training in the workplace we will continue to rely on plumber, plasters and electricians from Poland and the like and ultimately become inefficient as a nation were our youth are uninterested and undervalued.