'outh suffer rom Tebbit's other Bi
Socialist Organiser1982 1982-05-06Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 2 →
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THE Manpower Services including representatives from the TUC and CBI, has come to an agreement on proposals to Norman Tebbit on how to deal with the young unemployed.
Tebbit had produced a White Paper outlining a Youth Training Scheme whic which all unemployed 16 year olds would have to do. You'd be paid a pathetic €14.40 a week, and if you refused to go on the scheme, then you could not claim supplementary benefit.
The MSC task force -with TUC assent - has agreed that this youth training scheme should go ahead, with only a couple of minor amendments.
On the initiative of the CBI - the bosses' organisation - they are suggesting that £14.40 a week is a bit mean! It should be increased to £25 a week - the poverty wage you get on YOP schemes now.
The Task Force also proposes that all 16 year olds be given the chance to come onto these training schemes, not just the unemployed. The result of that proposal is clear. Proper jobs for 16 year olds will be even more impossible to find.
The MSC. suggests that youth who refuse to go on a training scheme should still be allowed to claim supplementary benefit. There's no way Tebbit will agree to this, as the whole purpose of his training scheme is to get the unemployed off the official statistics.
It is nothing strange that the CBI supports such proposals. But it is appalling that the TUC does too. The TUC clearly have no intention of fighting youth unemployment, and are quite happy to go along with the Tories' and the bosses' plans to conceal the true numbers of unemployed youth.
Tebbit could well 'grant' the £25 a week 'allowance' The TUC can then sit back and say 'Look, we've forced the Tories to change course on this. What more can we do?'.
They can withdraw from the MSC right now, and have nothing to do with Tebbit's cover-up schemes for the young unemployed. The trade unions are supposed to be fighting unemployment, not covering it up for the Tories.
FUND Sorry - we're still doing our arithmetic on last month's standing orders. But the month's total was certainiy well below the £1000 target.
And we're not doing weli this month. Send contribut ions to Socialist Organiser, 28 Middle Lane, London N:
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Socialist Organiser no.83 May 6, 1982 Page 3