Enforcing quality

Can it be that the coalition government has already run out of ideas to promote growth and employment? Despite the Prime Minister's 'vigorous determination' to improve the communication of policies and priorities, the Queen's Speech, following on from the budget-gone-wrong, proved to be another example of the underwhelming politics of lowering expectations.

Even the most persistent optimist must be reconciled to looking elsewhere for signs of intervention that will make a positive difference to economic prospects for the future of the region. There was certainly nothing in the government's next agenda that gave any comfort to business or to working people. The notion that diminishing employment standards will in any way improve job prospects is a deceitful concept; the government would, in fact, be better off admitting that they simply want to reduce peoples' rights at work - at least that would be honest.

Instead of increasing confidence, the only thing that will be achieved by lowering standards is to reward the minority of bad employers and further increase the sense of insecurity and vulnerability, contributing to holding the economy back through lower consumer confidence. The UK already has the second lowest level of worker protection in the 36 countries that make up the OECD, there is no case for removing employment rights and there is no demand for it either, this is way down on the list of priorities for employers.

The government would be far more popular if it tightened up on existing minimum standards. Youth unemployment is a real concern and the TUC is pleased to be supporting the National Apprenticeship Service's '100 in 100' campaign to encourage more employers to take on a new apprentice. Within this area, though, there remain problems of enforcing minimum standards.

The BIS Apprentice Pay Survey 2011, published in March, shows large scale avoidance of already woefully low minimum legal rates for apprentices. One in five apprentices were being paid less than the legal minimum, a quarter of them under 24 and almost 4 in 10 in the second year of their apprenticeship. In fact, 5 per cent of apprentices told the survey they receive no pay at all and nearly half of all hairdressing apprentices saying they were paid below the legal minimum. In addition, one in five apprentices receive no training at all - it's difficult to understand how this could possibly qualify as an apprenticeship.

It is a terrible contradiction to promote the value of apprenticeships, both to the individual and to the employer, and then to allow rogue employers to devalue that by paying so little. What worse message is there to a young apprentice than to say their work is valued so lowly?

Good quality apprenticeships are an excellent way for young people to start a career and provide strong benefits for employers and the wider community. Reducing employment rights further only emphasises the culture of treating workers with such disrespect that even minimum standards are ignored. That's bad for everybody.

Kevin Rowan

Regional Secretary

Northern TUC