Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Business performanceLatest NewsEconomics, government & businessHR practice

Labour election manifesto: Key points for employers

by Louisa Peacock 12 Apr 2010
by Louisa Peacock 12 Apr 2010

The Labour Party has published its election manifesto.

The document, A Future Fair For All, pledges that Labour will rebuild the economy, protect and reform public services and renew politics. Here are the key elements that will affect employers:

Economic recovery

Labour pledges to reform banks, modernise infrastructure and provide support to the private sector. Specific policies include:



  • £11bn of operational efficiencies delivered by 2012-13.
  • Halve the £167bn deficit by 2014 through economic growth, fair taxes and cuts to lower priority spending.
  • Create ‘UK Finance for Growth’, with £4bn to provide capital for growing businesses and sectors.
  • Introduce new global levy on banks and reform rules to learn lessons of past irresponsibility.
  • Build a high-tech economy, supporting businesses to create one million more skilled jobs.
  • Encourage sustainable company growth, with corporate takeovers requiring a super-majority of two-thirds of shareholders.

Jobs and pay

Labour pledged to return the UK to full employment and enable people to get better and higher-paid jobs. Specific policies include:



  • A National Minimum Wage rising at least in line with average earnings, and a new £40-a-week ‘Better Off in Work’ guarantee.
  • More advanced apprenticeships and Skills Accounts for workers to upgrade their skills.
  • 200,000 jobs through the Future Jobs Fund, with a job or training place for young people who are out of work for six months, but benefits cut at 10 months if they refuse to take part.
  • Anyone unemployed for more than two years guaranteed work, but no option of life on benefits.

Flexible working

Labour pledges to recognise the “huge contribution” older people make to society. Specific policies include:



  • The right to request flexible working for older workers, with an end to default retirement at 65, enabling more people to decide for themselves how long they choose to keep working.
  • Extension of statutory paternity leave to one month, up from two weeks currently.
  • A new Toddler Tax Credit of £4 a week from 2012 to give more support to all parents of young children – whether they want to stay at home or work.
  • A re-established link between the Basic State Pension and earnings from 2012.

Education

Specific policies relevant to employers include:



  • Every young person guaranteed education or training until 18, with 75% going on to higher education, or completing an advanced apprenticeship or technician level training, by the age of 30.
  • An expansion of free nursery places for two-year-olds and 15-hours a week of flexible, free nursery education for three- and four-year-olds to encourage parents to return to work.

Health: Labour plans to ensure that doctors’ surgeries are open in the evenings and weekends, bringing inevitable changes to GPs’ working hours or shift patterns.

Crime: The Labour Party has pledged to maintain police and police community support officer numbers with neighbourhood police teams in every area, spending 80% of their time on the beat.

Immigration: Labour pledges to control immigration through the new points-based system, ensuring that as growth returns, the UK sees rising levels of employment and wages, not rising immigration.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Read the full Labour 2010 election manifesto.

The Conservatives will publish their election manifesto tomorrow, with the Liberal Democrats’ to follow on Wednesday.

Louisa Peacock

previous post
Labour to scrap default retirement age of 65, says election manifesto
next post
Did the April Fool wedding ring article go too far?

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+