Slave Masters
justified slavery by claiming that slaves 'were perfectly contented with their condition, and on the whole a much better race without education than with, as they were now faithful, kind-hearted, and attached to their masters, whereas education would destroy all their natural virtues, and make them as vicious as the lower orders in other countries.'
In his TUC speech on Tuesday Ed Miliband committed a future Labour Government to end the abuse of zero hours contracts rather than an outright ban on this worst form of casualised working. Lawyer Darren Newman examines the practicalities of proposals to ban these contracts in certain circumstances only and concludes it will be the legal equivalent of nailing a jelly to the wall:
http://darrennewman.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/eds-pledge-on-zero-hours-contracts/
#TUC13 The bucket and spades are packed, the correct length of trouser leg to be rolled up for paddling purposes has been calculated and the knotted hankies are at the ready. The TUC has decamped to Bournemouth for the next few days for its
145th annual jamboree. Starting on Sunday, Congress will set out its campaign programme for the period up to the next general election.
In recent weeks it has been good to see UNISON at the forefront of the campaign against zero hours contracts. As Dave Prentis
said in the Guardian ‘the vast majority of workers are only on these contracts because they have no choice. They may give flexibility to a few, but the balance of power favours the employers and makes it hard for workers to complain.’ The key question is what is to be done by unions about this insidious problem which is now prevalent across the public as well as the private sector? On the
IER blog Keith Ewing sets out practical measures for a new legal framework to end the abuse of zero hours contracts. While we wait for a worker friendly Government to amend the Working Time Regulations, Keith’s proposals make an excellent negotiating brief for union branches to challenge any employer who denies workers guaranteed working hours and pay.
Not before time zero hours contracts have come under public scrutiny. A blatant device for employers limiting their own contractual liabilities as well as denying rights to their employees, these 'contracts' have not only proliferated in marketised areas of public services such as home care but also in core areas like NHS staff banks which do not guarantee work to registered staff. An editorial in The Occupied Times locates ‘permanently precarious’ employment in the context of 30 years of neo liberalism which has led to a 'fundamental shift in the nature of work':
http://theoccupiedtimes.org/?p=11613
We have been told by the Government that the NHS reforms are about improving quality, and patient choice. The reality though is about increasing privatisation and delivering services with less national funding. Already there is an increase in the pace and breadth of privatisation, seeing the likes of Circle Healthcare, Virgin Health to name just two taking over the running of services.
