It's that time of year again when politicians put on their glad rags
and summon up the masses to talk about policies in glamorous locations
around the UK. This year the Tories, LibDems and Labour lovelies will be invading the towns of Bournemouth, Manchester, and err Brighton. Surely a few thousand flights to Las Vegas could have been slipped unnoticed on the expenses, no?
Amidst
the inevitable cheap shots aimed at the other parties, one thing that
has come a lot at this year's conferences is what each party can do for
you, the job seeker. I've scoured the web to tell you exactly what each
party has been talking about, on all things job related. So you don't
have to listen to all those politicians prattle on as well...
I'll
be covering all three of the main political parties- and I shall start
with Conservatives. Check back to see what Labour and LibDems have also had to say later this week...
Conservative Party Conference, Manchester. Monday 5th- Thurs 8th October
The
Conservative party conference has only been in full swing for less than
a day, but already they have had a lot to say about the current job
market. In their section today entitled 'Get Britain Working' they
discussed the following:
'local unemployment sows the seeds for many social problems'
Sayeeda Warsi (Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action.)
Job
Clubs. 50 parts of the UK have already set up 'job clubs' inspired by
the Conservative party. These are purely driven by local people to
respond to daily local needs, to tackle community unemployment and to
help people get back into work. This involves mentoring, improving job
finding skills, CV surgeries, and giving those people who find
themselves out of work someone to talk to. These are community based
projects that are happening now to tackle unemployment.
A new
Conservative government would establish a network of 'work clubs' based
on the job clubs that are already formed. They will be places to meet
others and exchange skills, help with voluntary work and to be used to
access mutual support. They would be created as a franchise model so
that they can be easily set up by local communities. The Conservatives
know that 'local people really want to be part of the solution'.
Tories
would like to implement a new nationwide volunteering project, to
support communities affected by the economic downturn. 'Work Together'
would allow you to see the ways in which you can help and volunteer in
your local area. This not only helps support local communities, but
also offers the unemployed a chance to gain new skills whilst they are
looking for work. The Conservatives have set up a website to support
their project: http://www.conservatives.com/getbritainworking/ to
support people looking for work, which lists over 1 million positions
for voluntary work in the UK.
George Osborne- Shadow Chancellor
National
Insurance contributions will be abolished for the first ten employees
employed in the first year of any new business founded under a new
Conservative government. This funded tax cut has been proposed in a bid
to create more job opportunities in small businesses and to boost
enterprise.
The tax break claims to enable the Tories to create 60,000 new jobs over two years.
The Tories claim to be 'The party of jobs' not 'the party of mass unemployment' as they have dubbed Labour.
Conservatives plan to raise the retirement age for men up to 66 by 2016, in a bid to reduce Britain's budget deficit. This change would affect all men and women under the age of 58. Women's retirement age is also thought to be increased, although Cameron insists that this will not happen within the same time frame as the proposed changes to men's retitrement age.
Ken Clarke- Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
'Small companies could employ a lot more people if we create the right climate for them'
The
Conservatives want to encourage people with a desire to work for
themselves- people should be supported, and moving people from
unemployment to self employment should be a priority, which they
believe doesn't exist in the Labour party.
David Cameron- Leader of the Opposition
'We will not let Britain down'
People
on incapacity benefit need to be assessed and those who can work need
to be encouraged to get back into work with the right help and
training. 'If you can work, you should work... we will help you to work.'
Focusing on a bold shake-up of the Welfare system.
Cameron
wants to replace the current Flexible New Deal and implement more
personalised help and training, which will extend to people who have
been unemployed for over 6 months.
Boris Johnson- Mayor of London
'It's absolutely wonderful to be here in Manchester, one of the few cities I have yet to insult'
Subscribe