The Huffington Post
Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Let’s be crystal clear from the outset: workers’ rights and the minimum wage are not to blame for the NEETs crisis. Youth unemployment didn’t appear overnight . It’s the result of more than a decade of austerity under the previous government, a failed apprenticeship system, weak economic growth, and deep regional inequality. But if you followed this week’s headlines , you could be forgiven for thinking the crisis was brand new. Ahead of Alan Milburn’s landmark review into young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), right-wing politicians and business leaders tripped over themselves to blame workers’ rights and minimum wage rises. Rishi Sunak called for the Low Pay Commission to be scrapped. Tony Blair attacked the government’s Employment Rights Act. The boss of Next , a Tory peer, complained about wage increases. One after another they shamelessly tried to blame a long-running crisis on policies that are barely even in force yet. But Milburn himself was clear: the causes are “much more long-term and deep-seated than any decisions taken in the last few years.” He’s right. This is a cynical attempt to turn workers’ rights and decent pay into a scapegoat. The reality is that most measures in the Employment Rights Act haven’t even come into force yet. And many decent employers already meet these standards. The only businesses with something to fear are the rogue employers relying on exploitative practices like fire and rehire. The same goes for the scaremongering about the minimum wage. Young people face the same rents, bills and rising costs as everyone else. Paying them less for the same work is indefensible. And the evidence simply doesn’t support the critics. The previous government gradually moved 21 to 24-year-olds onto the full adult minimum wage with no negative impact on employment — according to the independent Low Pay Commission itself. In reality, most employers already pay younger workers the full rate anyway. We’ve seen this pattern before. Instead of fixing the problem, people look for someone to scapegoat. First it was young people themselves — dismissed as “lazy” or “snowflakes” for struggling with mental health. Then it was the benefits system. Now it’s workers’ rights and fair pay. But the crisis is structural. Young people are far more likely to be trapped in insecure, low-quality work that damages their health and pushes them in and out of employment. The answer is not weaker protections or lower pay. It’s secure jobs, decent conditions and real opportunities. The government’s expanded Jobs Guarantee for young people on Universal Credit is a start. But why should someone wait 18 months for meaningful support? It needs to be bigger, faster and more ambitious. And for many young people, the problem isn’t unwillingness to work. It’s that the jobs simply aren’t there. Vacancies are falling. Youth unemployment is rising faster than unemployment for older workers. And the places hit hardest – towns like Blackpool and Middlesbrough – are communities that have spent decades paying the price of deindustrialisation and economic neglect. If the government is serious about tackling the NEETs crisis it must go all in on creating secure jobs, expanding training and education and rebuilding local economies. That means stronger rights at work, fair wages and targeted support for young people - not rolling back protections to boost corporate profits. The people offering easy answers aren’t trying to solve this crisis. They’re trying to protect the broken status quo. Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Why Is The UK Unemployment Rate Currently So High? Low Unemployment Is Not The Good News The Government Says It Is How The UK's Unemployment Figures Compare With Europe
Go to News Site