What Labour has done

Labour in a third term

The Tories and the Lib Dems

Employment and Jobs

Britain is enjoying the longest period of sustained low inflation and interest rates since the 1960s.

Lower mortgage rates are saving mortgage payers an average of £3,780 a year compared to under the Tories.

Delivering strong and dependable public services through sustained investment and reform.

Number of people in work now at record levels, up by two million since 1997.

At 4.7per cent, the unemployment rate is the lowest since 1975. Over one million people helped into work through the New Deal.

Both long-term unemployment and long-term youth unemployment cut by over 75 per cent since 1997.

Labour’s tax credits – the Working Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit are ensuring work pays and children are supported.

Committed to maintaining economic stability, keeping inflation and interest rates as low as possible.

Committed to achieving full employment in every region.

Will keep the New Deal helping more people to move from welfare into work.

Have created the Pension Protection Fund to safeguard workers’ pensions – it will step in and pay out if an employer goes bust.

Committed to halving child poverty by 2010.

In 1993 unemployment reached three million under the Tories. The Tories are the party of mass unemployment and said that it was a price worth paying.

The Tories are committed to making £35 billion of cuts to public services – cuts so large that they could only be found by cutting deep into public services.

The Tories would scrap the New Deal and privatise Jobcentre Plus.

The Tories will slash 80% of staff at the DTI.

The Tories and the Lib Dems will scrap Regional Selective Assistance which has safeguarded 100,000 jobs in some of the UK’s most deprived areas.

The Tories will discontinue grants to RDAs.

The Lib Dems have pledged axe the New Deal and would abolish the DTI altogether.

What Labour has done

Labour in a third term

The Tories and the Lib Dems

Paid Holidays

Introduced right to four weeks paid holiday a year.

Introduced minimum rest breaks (at least one day off per week, 11 hours uninterrupted rest each day, and rest breaks during the day).

Will extend the right to four weeks’ paid holiday, by ensuring that it is in addition to Bank holidays.

This will mean an extra eight days holiday every year for thousands of workers.

The Tories opposed all Labour's measures to deliver fairness in the workplace including the introduction of the Social Chapter, which gave British workers rights to paid holidays, rest breaks and parental leave.

Today, all Labour's measures including the right to four weeks’ paid holiday, paternity leave and curbs on working excessive hours are at risk as the Tories will attempt to pull Britain out of the Social Chapter.

What Labour has done

Labour in a third term

The Tories and the Lib Dems

National Minimum Wage

Introduced the National Minimum Wage (NMW), currently at £4.85, which has benefited around 1.6 million people, over 1 million of them women.

Increased the NMW by 35% per cent since it introduction.

NMW now extended to 16 and 17 year olds at a rate of £3 per hour.

Established the Women and Work Commission, which will make recommendations on tackling the gender pay gap.

Will increase the adult rate to £5.05 in October 2005 and to £5.35 in October 2006. Will increase the development rate (18-21 year olds) to £4.25 in October 2005 and £4.45 in October 2006.

Will retain the Low Pay Commission (LPC), the body which sets the rate of the minimum wage and ask it to review the operation of the 16-17 year old rate and report in 2006 and keep under review the issue of whether to put 21 year olds onto the adult rate.

Will keep the Agricultural Wages Board and consider extending its remit.

The Tories axed Wages Councils, opposed the introduction of a minimum wage and have previously opposed above-inflation increases.

Michael Howard described the NMW as “extreme, dangerous and absurd”.

The Tories have failed to confirm they will retain the Low Pay Commission.

The Tories would abolish the Agricultural Wages Board.

The Lib Dems failed to support the introduction of the NMW and described the previous increase as ‘dangerous’.

What Labour has done

Labour in a third term

The Tories and the Lib Dems

Work/Life balance

Introduced the right to request flexible working for parents of children up to five years of age. Taken up by over one million parents.

Introduced the right to time-off in domestic emergencies.

Workers now have the right not to work more than 48 hours per week.

Mothers now enjoy 26 weeks’ paid maternity leave, fathers two weeks’ paternity leave and adoptive parents six months’ paid and 6 months’ unpaid leave.

Labour has almost doubled maternity pay and introduced for the first time paid paternity and adoptive leave.

Will consult on extending right to request flexible working to parents of older children and carers of sick and disabled relatives.

Will extend paid maternity leave to nine months in 2007 and are working towards the goal of 12 months’ paid leave by the end of the next parliament.

Will allow mothers to transfer part of this leave to the child’s father.

Will increase maternity pay to £106 a week in 2007.

When the Tories left office maternity leave was just 14 weeks and maternity pay was £55 a week.

The Tories opposed all measures to increase flexible working.

The Tories have refused to match Labour’s pledge to extend paid maternity leave to nine months, and will not look to extend flexible working to carers or parents of older children.

What Labour has done

Labour in a third term

The Tories and the Lib Dems

Childcare

Created free part-time nursery places for every three and four year old.

1.2 million new childcare places in England since 1997.

Sure Start centres have revolutionised provision for the poorest fifth of wards in Britain.

6 million families benefiting from the new tax credits – the Child Tax Credit and the Working Tax Credit.

Introduced the Child Trust Fund to give all children a nest egg for the future – an initial endowment of £250. £500 for the poorest kids, and a further payment when they’re seven.

Extend free nursery places for three and four year olds to 15 hours per week, for 38 weeks a year, by 2010 – as a first step towards goal of 20 hours a week.

Provide out-of-school childcare from 8am to 6pm on weekdays to all 3 to 14 year olds, by 2010.

Create a Sure Start Children’s Centre in every community. 2,500 by 2008 and 3,500 by 2010.

By April 2005, Child Benefit will rise by £17.00 per week for the first child and £11.40 for subsequent children – a 25 per cent real terms increase since 1997.

The Tories are committed to £35 billion cuts to public spending.

They have said they would cut Sure Start and children’s services, and have opposed all Labour’s tax credits for working families.

The Tories opposed Labour’s tax credits; Michael Howard says he thinks they’re the ‘wrong path for Britain’.

Under the Tories Child Benefit was frozen for three years.

The Lib Dems have pledged to axe the Child Trust Fund.

What Labour has done

Labour in a third term

The Tories and the Lib Dems

Lifelong Learning

Introduced the Union Learning Fund (ULF) and the right to time off for Union Learning reps to promote training.

Since its introduction the ULF has provided over £35 million for learning and training to over 100,000 workers.

Introduced the New Deal for Skills offering access to skills advisers and training.

Introduced Employer Training Pilots currently giving paid time off to train up to NVQ2, across a third of the UK.

Increased the number of apprenticeships from 72,000 in 1997 to 255,000 today.

Will expand apprenticeships.

Roll out Employer Training Pilots, with training for all up to NVQ2.

Action in sectors under-performing on skills, including possible training levies.

Treble the number of Union Learning Reps to 22,000.

The Tory plan to cut £35 in public spending would mean cuts to skills, training, education and employment.

The Tories would abolish the Union Learning Fund.

David Willetts, said in April 2004:

“There is the belief that somehow, the way to solve our problem of economic inactivity is to pour more investment in education and training into the empty vessels of these unemployed people.”