Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • 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
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • 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
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Labour and Tories woo workers, leaving the Lib Dems to buddy up to business

by Michael Millar 10 Oct 2006
by Michael Millar 10 Oct 2006

The hot air of the political conference season has gone, to be replaced by the cold winds of autumn. But what did the respective party get-togethers have to say on the future of the UK workplace?

Perhaps the biggest lesson business could learn from Labour in Manchester was how not to conduct succession planning, with the Gordon Brown/pretty-much-anyone-on-the-front-bench leadership race that dominated proceedings.

Education and skills secretary, Alan Johnson, said all GCSE coursework would be removed from maths, and that other subjects would be supervised. He also promised an apprenticeship to every “young qualified person” who wants one. Though it seems the minister has not heard about age discrimination.

Pensions secretary, John Hutton, reminded everyone of the forthcoming pensions reforms. Meanwhile, industry secretary, Alistair Darling, listed all the new rights workers have gained under a Labour government, and promised more to come.

Employers will welcome the focus on skills, but the debate rages on about the 600 or so pieces of business legislation enacted since Labour came to power.

For the Tories, the word ‘family’ – at 23 mentions – was pipped at the post by ‘NHS’, in David Cameron’s keynote speech in Bournemouth.

He also called for greater understanding of workers’ need to “disappear at a moment’s notice” to look after their children. Employers had better start limbering up now if they don’t want to pull a muscle implementing this ultra-flexible vision of the future.

Shadow work and pensions secretary, Philip Hammond, said a Conservative future would mean “work tailored to the circumstances of the would-be workers, not workers squeezed into jobs that they don’t fit”.

In his speech to the party’s Brighton conference, Lib Dem leader, Menzies Campbell, outlined the issues “that matter to people – public services, the environment, crime, taxation – a fairer and more peaceful world”. No mention of employment matters at all.

Lib Dem education spokeswoman, Sarah Teather, called for A-levels to be scrapped in favour of a European-style system of diplomas recommended in the Tomlinson report.

It was left to the party’s trade and industry spokesman, Edward Davey, to tackle deregulation, promising to repeal unnecessary legislation and ensure future laws are properly assessed and fit for purpose.

It all sounds good, but will Ming ever be given the chance to be merciless on business red tape?




Avatar
Michael Millar

previous post
UK business owners work 18 hours more per week
next post
Are age laws courting disaster?

You may also like

Grants scheme set up to support women’s health...

16 May 2022

How music can help to ease anxiety at...

9 May 2022

OH will be key to navigating ‘second pandemic’...

14 Apr 2022

OH urged to be aware of abortion consultations...

8 Apr 2022

How coached eCBT is returning the workplace to...

8 Apr 2022

Why now is the time to plug the...

7 Apr 2022

Two-thirds of shift workers feel health affected by...

18 Mar 2022

TUC warns of April Covid risk assessment ‘confusion’

14 Mar 2022

Consultation on new NHS cancer standards, as waits...

11 Mar 2022

Pandemic pivot to home working fuelled mental ill...

11 Mar 2022
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...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 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • 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
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+