{"id":4125,"date":"2015-05-12T16:38:38","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T15:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=4125"},"modified":"2015-05-12T16:38:38","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T15:38:38","slug":"under-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=4125","title":{"rendered":"Under attack"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sajid Javid, Vince Cable\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s replacement as business secretary, today (May 12) set out his plans for office in an interview with BBC Radio 4\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Today Programme.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Javid, a former banker appointed by David Cameron, will be the key link between government and business.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here UNITElive looks at his plans and what is already facing attack under the Tories just five days in to their second term.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The right to strike<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The right to strike is a fundamental human right. It gives workers dignity in employment. It provides the right to protest without fearing for your job, your home and your family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But Sajid Javid says there are going to be significant changes in strike law. Thresholds for turnout will have to be 50 per cent and over and essential public services must vote by at least 40 per cent in favour of strike action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Currently, a strike is valid if backed by a majority of those balloted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The government will also lift restrictions on the use of agency staff to replace striking workers. Plans to curb the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to strike will be in The Queen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s speech on May 27.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EU referendum<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Javid wants a straight in\/out referendum before 2017. A parliamentary bill to approve the referendum will be included in the Queen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Speech in just 15 days\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The bill will be formally tabled in the House of Commons shortly afterwards to ensure that the prime minister has the option of holding the referendum next year to avoid it clashing with French and German elections.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some companies say they may benefit from reduced costs if they were freed from EU regulations, but Unite argues the economy could suffer from reduced foreign investment and demand for exports if the UK is seen as isolated from the rest of the continent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite understands some leading manufacturers could well leave the UK if an EU exit is voted for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Deregulation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The deregulation act 2015 is a bill aimed at removing restrictions from legislation for businesses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Javid has said he is going to look at \u00e2\u20ac\u0098what more deregulation we can have\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. He also said \u00e2\u20ac\u0098we are clearly on the side of business\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. So far the Tories have been very vague about what lurks behind this deregulation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But should workers be worried? Will Sajid be focused on making things better for businesses but at the cost of workers?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Regulation is necessary to hold businesses accountable for their employees and to protect workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Previously the so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0098red tape challenge\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 attacked health and safety with around 98 per cent of health and safety regulations being scrapped or \u00e2\u20ac\u0098improved\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the reforms included allowing businesses to sell second hand articles containing potentially fatal asbestos. Agriculture, equalities and employment related law were just a few of the reforms made that put business before employees.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By January 2014 the Tories had already abolished or simplified 800 regulations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Youth unemployment and change in terms for benefits<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Every young person between 18 and 21 will have their benefits changed from jobseekers to \u00e2\u20ac\u0098youth benefits\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015b[Young people] will have to take up apprenticeships and community work if they want to keep receiving [benefits],\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Javid.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But this may not be as straight forward as it sounds and the quality of the apprenticeship is in question. Unite says the emphasis must be on finding decent jobs with career progression that builds on experience. It must take into account caring responsibilities, travel time and cost and must be secure.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite believe that any \u00e2\u20ac\u0098job guarantee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 must be rooted in this ethical approach. Unite does not support \u00e2\u20ac\u0098welfare reform\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or policies flagged as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098job guarantees\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that seek to stigmatise social security and drive people to take unsuitable jobs and low paid work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anthony Curly, Unite young members coordinator said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bForcing people to work for free on pain of losing benefits is simply providing free labour for profitable firms that should be paying workers proper wages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter what you call the scheme, the principle of work conscription needs to end and has no place in our social security system.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ahead of the elections David Cameron said about young people, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bFrom day one they must realise that welfare is not a one-way street. Yes, we will help them, but there is no more something for nothing.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BBC licensing fee<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The BBC has a huge cultural, economic and democratic contribution to the UK. Cameron\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new culture secretary John Whittingdale described the license fee as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098worse than the poll tax\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The BBC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s current 10 year charter is due to expire next year at the same time as the freeze in the license fee. He also said that licence fee evasion should be decriminalised and his select committee called for the abolition of the BBC Trust in February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mr Whittingdale, former private secretary to Margaret Thatcher, has a strongly right-wing record on parliamentary votes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to the site They Work for You<\/a>, he has voted very strongly against equal gay rights, strongly against the fox hunting ban, very strongly against equal marriage and moderately against laws to promote equality and human rights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sajid Javid may seem like a new breed of Tory with his bus driver dad and his state school education, but the plans he has set out just five days in to office show a keen and sinister strategy to dissect the terms and conditions and the foundations that protect working Britain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sajid Javid, Vince Cable\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s replacement as business secretary, today (May 12) set out his plans for office in an interview with BBC Radio 4\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Today Programme.   Javid, a former banker appointed by David Cameron, will be the key link between government and business.   Here UNITElive looks at his plans and what is already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[44],"wps_subtitle":"Strike rights and young targeted by Tories","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4125"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4125"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4127,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4125\/revisions\/4127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}