Featured Article

Featured Article


The Charter for Transforming Work
Green Party of England & Wales

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/

"The Green Party supports a citizen's income which would be a benefit given to everyone as a right, irrespective of their circumstances ...

... If the Republic of Ireland can seriously consider it, can't we?"

WHAT'S WORK?

In an age of increasing technology and opportunities for leisure, why are some of us working harder and harder with little chance to relax, with others unable to find work who have plenty of time but very little money? The Government's agenda is firmly based around the idea that paid employment is good, but many jobs are damaging to health and the environment and are based around consuming scarce resources, whilst the unpaid work which supports our communities is unrecognised and unvalued.

What is work? Is it just selling our time to put food on the table, or is it also about creativity and fulfilment? Is it just paid employment and commerce, or should building up families and communities count as work too? Is work in a factory owned by a multinational worth more or less than in a co-operative or a locally owned business? We believe that the assumption that the only work that matters is the jobs provided by big business is not only morally wrong, but poor economics as well.

The Green Party supports work which builds communities, provides people with adequate rewards, allows them control over their working conditions and provides support for those people who are not in paid employment for whatever reason. This is kind of work is sustainable, fulfilling and increases the real wealth in our community.


THE CHARTER FOR TRANSFORMING WORK

WORK FOR COMMUNITY

Voluntary, family and other unpaid work deserves to be recognised. Society depends upon unpaid work. Many people undertake voluntary work which enriches our communities, for example caring for people with disabilities, providing friendship for older people or helping to improve our environment. These are some of the most valuable jobs that can be done, but unpaid workers receive few rewards, and are told by the Employment Service to find "real work". Similarly, people caring for children are also being pushed into a job, when many of them really want to concentrate on bringing up the next generation. Benefit rates need to be increased so that people can aren't forced into poverty whilst doing unpaid work. Such volunteers should receive National Insurance credits to protect their rights to pensions and other National Insurance benefits.

There are new ideas being tried out which could make a real difference. Local Exchange Trading Schemes now exist all over the country, using an ‘imaginary currency’ to facilitate exchanges between people who are unable to meet their needs using money. It brings a community together, helps people to practice their skills, and provides a kind of ‘community credit for people who need help getting started.

Many businesses have always had a close connection to the community, such as playschemes, recycling initiatives and fundraising for charities. More of these community enterprises are being set up - but funding for employment creation is going disproportionately to traditional industries and encouraging foreign investment. One electronics factory received £3.3 million as a sweetener - £24,000 for each job created - while new small businesses were unable to get any help at all. At the same time, another similar development was closing and moving abroad after only five years. This is where a change of policy in Local Councils could really make a difference. Principal authorities have the power to allow discretionary relief on business rates to alleviate hardship and benefit the community. At present, very few recognise the hardship faced by new locally owned businesses, or the benefit that we all gain from supporting community enterprise. A clear policy encouraging such businesses to apply for relief could be a very effective way to boost local business, co-operatives and community enterprise. Charity shops have already benefited, creating economic activity where none existed before.

Combined with support for street markets and ‘Local Exchange Trading Scheme’ this could bring communities back to life. As the community gets more economically active, it encourages other businesses to locate there - there are now many estates and villages where there are no shops, banks or leisure facilities.


WORKING WITHOUT POVERTY

The burden of taxation should not fall upon those on lower incomes. The way in which the benefits, National Insurance and tax schemes interact means that those on low incomes only get to keep 3 pence for every extra pound they earn in the worst case. This will only rise to 5 pence in the pound under the Government's tax credit proposals. This is an effective tax rate of 97% for some of the poorest members of our society compared with the maximum of 40% for the richest. Single people can only keep £5 per week of their wages before their income support or jobseeker's allowance is taken back pound for pound. This hasn't changed for ten years. The burden of taxation should fall on resource consumption, not on our first steps into employment.

The Green Party supports a citizen's income which would be a benefit given to everyone as a right, irrespective of their circumstances. As people can keep this benefit if they move into or out of employment it provides a safety net for people to refuse jobs which are damaging and helps to stop unscrupulous employers from exploiting their workforce. Many people will still want to work full time, but others will want to reduce the hours they work which will spread the available work to more people. It would encourage people to pursue the work they really want to do, and express themselves ethically and creatively, without fear of poverty. Many will say we can’t afford it - but it is cheap to administer and encourages more economic activity. If the Republic of Ireland can seriously consider it, can’t we?

As well as calling for a Citizen’s Income that will protect everyone from insecurity, the Green Party supports the principle of a national minimum wage to give fair rewards for hard work. Current proposals sets the wage too low and have loopholes which need closing. We want to see young people receive the same wage for the same job as older people, and employment law tightened to ensure people working on an "as an when" basis or under contracts such as many homeworkers are also covered.

There are continual cuts in the public sector, meaning that doctors, nurses and teachers are leaving their professions, and many people working for their local authorities are made redundant or employed only on a casual basis, increasing unemployment and insecurity. Local and central Government are major employers and are particularly important to strengthening local communities. The valuable work done by people and the ability of councils to strengthen their communities needs to be recognised.

The growing squeeze on money for social spending is closely linked to the moves toward European Monetary Union. The "Stability Pact" (a precondition for joining the EMU) means that countries have put economic indicators before public welfare. Not for nothing does EMU also stand for ‘Even more Unemployment’. We don’t believe a single currency will benefit anyone other than the biggest businesses - but if it must take place, why do the criteria focus so heavily on restricting public spending without setting any targets for the relief of poverty, the gap between rich and poor, or environmental standards? The Green Group in the European Parliament is calling to replace the Stability Pact with a Pact for Employment and Sustainability. We need British MEPs of all parties to support them.


WORK THAT EMPOWERS

Flexibility of workers is demanded without flexibility from employers. Work should fit around our lives, our children and our needs rather than dictating them. Flexible hours are often easy for employers to arrange and also provides them with a happier and therefore more motivated workforce. We would like to see more opportunities for employees to reduce hours which could provide work for someone else, and for employees to have the right for this to be considered.

Employment rights that protect against unfair dismissal and exploitation are still not available to all workers. We support such statutory protection from day 1 in the job. Too many experience redundancy for no reason just days before they would gain legal protection.

An old idea that is finding new applications is the workers’ co-operative, in which all the employees have an equal say in the management of their business. In this country, they employ over 20,000 people, and in Mondragon, Spain a community of co-operative businesses that have developed over forty years form the backbone of the economy. This country still has no effective national co-operative development strategy, despite all the evidence that they provide good management and social responsibility in all kinds of industries. We support the Industrial Common Ownership Movement’s plan for developing co-operative enterprise.

No-one should be forced into work they do not want to do. Many people undertake jobs which are damaging to their physical or mental health or to the environment for low wages. We believe that people should be able to refuse to do jobs without loss of benefit and without facing absolute poverty. A Citizen’s Income would allow everyone to do this.

Sometimes people need time to decide what they want to do with their life; others want to try something experimental, creative or unusual that may not make a lot of money. There is no reason that we should not have more control over our working lives. Westminster has the power to make a real difference by giving anyone claiming jobseeker's allowance the opportunity to take a six-month "sabbatical" when they do not have to show they are available for and actively seeking work. People could use this time to study, to undertake voluntary work or caring responsibilities, to sort out problems such as homelessness, to build up their physical or mental health, to research a new business idea, to work in the arts, or to think abou the direction of their life. During this period, they should have access to Employment Service and other Government resources to achieve their goals.

These are our three demands for a transformation of work from drudgery into development: At the local level, business rates holidays for local business. In Westminster, a jobseeker’s sabbatical. And in Europe, a pact for employment and sustainability.

There are things that people can do personally to improve their lives. There is no point pointing the finger at politicians without agreeing to make some changes ourselves. Use the response slip addressed to the Green Party to find out more about one or more ways you can transform work in your community. You could join a Local Exchange Trading System, join a Trade Union, ask for flexible hours at work, start a Co-op or community enterprise, work to "green" your workplace or improve your environment locally.

Inform yourself and others as well. Ask for the Green Party’s new booklet on work (part of our European Series of Green Briefings), or for a copy of our guide to Alternative Careers, ‘Working Alternatives’. We also have a series of three booklets describing how to set up three kinds of radical co-operative business - secondhand shops, social clubs and media and events co-ops. Finally, to stay on top of all the latest in Green Politics, subscribe to ‘Green World’ - or better still, join the Green Party.


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"Transforming work in my community" - information is available on:
The Green Party of England and Wales: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/