SDLP Youth will be attending the annual May Day Parade in Belfast on Saturday 2nd May to coincide with the global call to action for International Labour Day on 1st May. The Parade will gather at 11.30am at St Anne’s Cathedral followed by a march and some entertainment at St George’s Market. All welcome.

As SDLP Youth’s International Secretary I would like to draw your attention to the wider purpose of International Labour Day.

At this time of economic crisis, when people are losing their jobs and employment protections are being rolled back, it is important that workers stand together in solidarity in the face of depreciating social conditions.  

In the North the dominance of public sector employment has until recently somewhat hidden the negative consequences of the economic crisis. However the impacts of the economic crisis are now beginning to be revealed- with workers, private sector workers in particular, now beginning to find themselves at the mercy of the failing economic markets. There are many recent cases that reflect this, including the much publicised plight of Visteon workers.

In this climate of economic uncertainty it is vital that workers have strong safety nets and that governments help those that become unemployed to quickly find another job, training or education course. It is therefore imperatively urgent that the Assembly works together to implement a strong social response to this crisis. There can be no room for policy inertia- the DUP and Sinn Fein need to set aside petty political positioning and start delivering for workers.

But these tough times must be met with progressive policies- not the tired, old rhetoric and economic philosophy that has been the inherent root cause for this economic malaise. This economic regime has failed Europe, like it has the rest of the world, and it is obvious that now is the time for new leadership.

That is why it is important that the Party of European Socialists, the SDLP’s mother party at the European-level, is returned as the strongest grouping in the European Parliament at the June European elections. You can play your part- give your support to Alban Maginness and help create a more socially conscious Europe that puts people first!

In solidarity,

Barry Magee

Today is International Labour Day and the President of the Party of European Socialists, Paul Nyrup Rasmussen, wants your support! Please see the communication below:

 

1st May 2009

Dear friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to send my warmest greetings to all European trade unionists on this International Workers’ Day. For me, the 1st of May has always meant a celebration of all that is best about the workers’ movement: solidarity, equality and cooperation. I remember very well May Days as a teenager in my home town, Esbjerg, in the 1950s, an age of strong trade unions, when the Danish welfare state was emerging. But that’s also when I learnt about the harsh realities of unemployment and the impact it can have on ordinary families like my own when I was growing up.

This year, International Workers’ Day comes at the start of the European elections campaign, and in the worst recession since the 1930s. Economic forecasts are being downgraded from week to week: we risk seeing 27 million unemployed by early 2010 if nothing more is done to stop the downward spiral.

Last Friday I was in Toulouse, where I met with workers from Airbus and Molex, who are currently threatened by job losses and wage cuts, with all the misery and uncertainty which that implies. Across Europe, millions of workers find themselves in this situation, workers who are in no way responsible for this crisis but are the ones paying the price. The conservatives – like Chancellor Merkel, President Sarkozy or Prime Minister Juncker - say that they have done enough. But I say that there are 27 million reasons to do more. We need a strong, new European economic recovery plan to safeguard employment and prevent mass unemployment hitting working families across Europe.

For the past five years the right has had a majority in Europe – in all EU institutions and most member states. It has presided over a period of repeated and serious attacks on workers’ rights and public services. The Barroso Commission has failed to stop freedom of movement of workers from being exploited to undermine social standards. The European Court of Justice has passed a series of questionable judgements (Laval, Viking, Rüffert, Luxemburg) on the Posting of Workers Directive, calling into question the principles of equal pay and collective bargaining and the right to strike action. In the Laval case, a Latvian company building a school in Sweden refused to respect local rules on pay and conditions and in doing so was supported by the Court due to ambiguities in the directive.

The Party of European Socialists firmly believes that this ‘race to the bottom’ in social standards is unacceptable. Yet the Commission has repeatedly refused to close the loopholes.

We will also strive to create a new respect for decent work and workplaces. For far too long, financial market actors such as private equity funds have treated our workplaces like a bundle for assets you can buy and sell at will, with no thought for the impact on workers. They load healthy companies with debt for short-term profit, leading to job losses, worse working conditions and weakened pensions for employees.

Regulation in this area is, clearly, woefully inadequate. My report on private equity was passed by the Parliament in September, yet the European Commission has ignored our demands. This week they finally published their draft proposal for regulation of private equity, which is so full of loopholes and gaps it is totally ineffective.

This is the problem we face on Workers Day, and on every working day, with a conservative-dominated European Union.

My party, the Party of European Socialists, has a clear and concrete plan for change. We have presented seven political demands to fight the crisis, which we want implemented within the first 100 days after the European elections:

1. A new, strong recovery plan for Europe
2. A European Employment Pact
3. A new Women’s rights Charter
4. A Social Progress Pact
5. Effective regulation and supervision of the financial markets
6. New mutual solidarity across EU Member States
7. A European roadmap for a global new deal

Our manifesto for the election outlines 71 specific proposals for taking Europe in a new direction over the next five years. As I said at a discussion organised by the European Trade Union Confederation on Tuesday, it is a manifesto that very much coincides with the ETUC manifesto demands, with real commitments to fighting the recession with a stronger European recovery plan, a review the Posting of Workers Directive, a European framework for cross-border collective bargaining and collective agreements, strengthened workers’ rights to information and consultation, a European pact on wages, a European framework for public services and regulation to cover all financial players. Trade unions should have a real say in decision-making in future.

So I urge you all to get the vote out on 4th – 7th June. This election finds Europe at a crossroads, faced with two very different political visions. I look forward to working together in close cooperation to make sure that working people across the EU get the new direction for Europe that they deserve.

Kind regards,

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen

President
Party of European Socialists

As the Olympics in China begin it has been revealed in a report by the campaign group Playfair 08 that much of the merchandise for the games has been produced in factories with disgraceful levels of pay and unacceptable working conditions. These factories in China make official Olympic bags, headgear, stationery and other products, and are alleged to have been falsifying employment records and forcing workers to lie about their wages and conditions.

While it is too late to demand assurances from the organisers of this years’ Olympic Games on their ethical credentials, it is all the more important that we make sure the London Organising Committee of the 2012 Olympic Game are operating under proper ethical standards. This includes making sure that all licensees and suppliers of Olympic goods are under contractual obligation to reinforce proper labour practices and that independent scrutiny is exercised to make sure all companies comply with the Ethical Trading Initiative.

SDLP Youth will be writing to all Northern Ireland’s MPs to request their support for this campaign and their signatures on the Early Day Motion in Parliament demanding ethical trading at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is important that our elected representatives make it clear to the Olympic organisers that all who work to make the 2012 Games a success should have the right to decent work, living wages and proper conditions.  Already SDLP Youth Limavady Branch has committed East Derry MP Gregory Campbell to sign Early Day Motion 1309 when Parliament reconvenes.

Trade unions have tabled 130 amendments to the Labour Party’s national policy forum designed to demand a change of direction from Gordon Brown’s beleaguered government. Welcoming a proposal to extend the full minimum wage to younger workers, SDLP Youth spokesman Liam McNulty said:

“The minimum wage varies according to age so a 17 year-old doing the same work as someone 2 or 3 years older than them earns substantially less per hour than their older colleague. We believe that this undervalues the contribution young people make to the workplace and means that in a time of rising prices it is increasingly difficult for many young people to make ends meet. Extending the full minimum wage to young workers would also create a greater incentive for young people to find work.”

“The principle of equal pay for equal work is one which we hold dear. The public would not accept a wage system that discriminates on the basis of gender or ethnicity so there should not be such tolerance for one that discriminates against young people. “

“Unfortunately this matter is still reserved by the British Treasury until the Assembly is devolved the tax-raising powers it needs to function as a proper parliament but we hope that Gordon Brown listens to these proposals and shows leadership on this issue. It is clear that his current right-wing strategy is not working so a new centre-left direction would be much welcomed by all in the youth movement. It is clear that something must be done to protect the most vulnerable in this time of economic turbulence and extending the full minimum wage would be a welcome first step.”

SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Mark Durkan has signed a Parliamentary motion congratulating The Independent newspaper for launching its Fair Tips, Fair Pay campaign which aims to put an end to the situation in the hospitality industry where service charges, tips and gratuities are used to pay staff wages.

Mr Durkan said:

“I would like to congratulate The Independent newspaper for launching its Fair Tips, Fair Pay campaign which I will be supporting alongside other MPs and trade unions.

“The regulations under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 legally allows for service charges, tips and gratuities to be used to pay staff wages.

“Therefore, I will be calling on the government to introduce amendments to the appropriate statutes to ensure that all tips and gratuities are paid to staff in addition to (at least) the hourly minimum wage rate.”

SDLP Youth today called on the Minister of Education Catriona Ruane to put in place new measures that will help struggling young teachers gain the vital experience needed to get jobs they badly need.

Speaking in response to the recent Assembly report which revealed that nearly 2,000 retired teachers have been re-employed as substitute teachers in the past academic year SDLP Youth University and Colleges Officer Malachy Quinn said “With so many young teachers out of full time work because they lack the proper teaching experience, I think it’s unacceptable that such a high number of retired teachers, of which over 1,500 have accepted redundancies, are getting jobs over young qualified teachers. I have nothing against retired teachers but with so few teaching jobs available it is getting near impossible for our young teachers to gain the experience they need in order to get full time positions in our schools. If we keep re-employing retired teachers over our new graduates how can we expect them to gain vital experience needed in a classroom if they are unable to get into one!”

“SDLP Youth call on the Minister of Education to look at different methods of employment to ensure that our young teachers gain the teaching experience they need in order to get a full time job. In Scotland new graduates are offered the guarantee of a year in work and I think that the Department of Education must look at different methods like this in order for our young teachers here to get ahead in the world of teaching, which means getting the experience they need.”

The SDLP Youth’s Liam McNulty has welcomed Tesco’s decision to discontinue the use of Uzbek cotton in their products.

“The Uzbek cotton industry is notorious for its use of forced child labour and we echo the comments of the Environmental Justice Foundation in calling the boycott of the cotton a ‘breakthrough decision’.

“Of equal importance is the decision by the company to implement a system of checks on the sources of the materials used in their products. It is clear that if Tesco can do this then it is also possible for other companies to follow suit. This means simply that ignorance is no longer an excuse. We would call on other retailers such as ASDA, Matalan, Burtons and Top Man to follow Tesco’s example.

“Ethical trading is a matter of great importance and SDLP Youth has recently launched a ‘Think Before You Buy’ campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Our members are also involved in the Clean Clothes Campaign, supporting garment workers’ rights around the globe.”

SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown has welcomed a move by Gap Clothing to remove from a sale a product which was made using child labour, but has criticised the fact that the incident could have been allowed to happen.

Mr McKeown said: “It is certainly a positive move by Gap to stop selling a product which it has been shown was made using child labour in India. However, this situation should never have been allowed to come about in the first place. It is extremely important that western retailers ensure that the goods that they are selling are ethically produced.

“We wouldn’t let children make clothes instead of going to school in Europe, so we shouldn’t stand by and let it happen elsewhere in the world, especially when the clothes we are wearing could have been made in this way.

“It is repulsive to think that major corporations could be lining their pockets through the misery of children in the developing world.”

Mr McKeown concluded: “SDLP Youth is currently running its ‘Think Before You Buy’ campaign which is urging shoppers to make sure that the clothes they are buying are not made through slave or child labour. Incidents like this prove how important it is to keep the focus on retailers to make sure that they are not exploiting people less fortunate than ourselves.”

ENDS

SDLP Youth has welcomed today’s rise in the minimum wage, but has criticised the British government for the stratified system involved in its implementation.

SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown said: “The minimum wage is necessary to ensure that the lowest paid workers are protected from exploitation, and today’s rise is to be welcomed. However, we cannot escape the fact that the minimum wage laws designed to protect the most vulnerable workers are also some of the most discriminatory.

“The law states that people under the age of 22 can be paid less for doing the exact same job as someone over that age. For example, in a shop that pays its staff the minimum wage, a 17 year-old will get paid over £2 less per hour than someone over 22 for doing the same work.

“This is the worst form of discrimination- society wouldn’t accept a law if it allowed people to be paid less because of their gender or race, so the same indignation must be displayed at discrimination based on age.

“The British government claims to be committed to equality, and indeed introduced legislation to prevent discrimination on the basis of age, yet its own minimum wage laws produce some of the most discriminatory practices possible.

Mr McKeown concluded: “SDLP Youth is calling for a universal minimum wage for workers, regardless of their age.

“As far as we are concerned, equal work must mean equal pay.”

ENDS

New Minimum Wages:

16- 17 Year Olds- £3.40

18-21 Year Olds- £4.60

Over 22s- £5.52

SDLP Youth has called for European retailers to ensure that Asian garment workers are given stronger rights. This comes as workers in Bangladesh who produce clothes for the western market protest to demand better conditions and pay.

SDLP Youth Chairman Gary McKeown said: “It is easy for people on this side of the world to turn a blind eye and pretend that this has nothing to do with us, but the fact is that it is our demand for cheap clothing that is keeping these workers’ wages so unbelievably low. Big business cannot be allowed to use this consumer appetite for cheap products as an excuse to absolve itself of its responsibilities to the people who toil to make these goods.

“Women in Bangladesh making clothes for major supermarkets sometimes earn as little as 5p an hour, working up to 14 hours a day. Demands by some retailers that suppliers cut prices are one reason why the women’s wages are so low they cannot afford to feed themselves and their families properly.”

He added: “SDLP Youth has recently launched its ‘Think Before You Buy’ campaign to let shoppers know about the plight of these foreign workers. We understand the need for families here to have access to reasonably priced clothing, especially when it comes to buying school uniforms, but with supermarkets and clothing retailers making record profits, we don’t think that this should be at the expense of the basic rights of foreign workers.

“SDLP Youth is calling on retailers to recognise the fundamental rights of workers in countries such as Bangladesh, and to avoid passing the financial burden of upholding these rights onto consumers. If companies cannot trade ethically and fairly without ripping off consumers, then they shouldn’t be in business.

“The best way for shoppers to send a clear signal to retailers who refuse to protect the rights of foreign workers is to boycott their products.”

ENDS