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date: 18 November 2009

embargo: For immediate release

Missing Bills send the wrong political message, says TUC

Responding to the Queen's speech today (Wedesnday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We are now in an excitable pre-election period with limited parliamentary time. But there are crucial issues that need to be decided, particularly the completion of the Equality Bill.

'We welcome today's measures to lay the foundations for a National Care Service for the elderly, although we are concerned about how best to fund this. We welcome the commitment to support the creation of green jobs in carbon capture storage.

'It is good news for vulnerable workers that Agency Work Regulations giving agency workers equal treatment with permanent staff on pay and holidays after 12 weeks in a job, but there are important details to get right and they need to be in place before the end of this Parliament not put off until late 2011.

'But the Deficit Reduction Bill is a mistake. The deficit is just one symptom of the financial crash. Reducing it will largely depend on getting the economy growing again, and if the recession deepens then the deficit will automatically widen whatever the law says. It is poor economics - and even worse politics - to single out the deficit in this way.

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Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (400 words) issued 18 Nov 2009