Current Affairs The Labour Party

[Tubey]

John McDonnell: "We can't get a better deal than Remain."

So erm... back remain then?

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Employ more teachers. I personally believe we need more specialised teachers in primary schools. In other countries teachers get a huge amount of time out of class to prepare, it's what we should be looking to replicate here.

We would have to employ fair few teachers though mate that have to be paid for, I know it wouldn't run into huge sums, but still.

 

[Barnfred 55]

With origins in the trade union movement, you'd imagine Labour are fine with business providing it's big and in a relatively monopoly position whereby workers can organise into a union and strikes have an effect. Trains are a good example of this, as for all the grumbling about the train companies, staff working for them get paid incredibly well. Small businesses are not something you feel Labour care or know much about, much less the kind of new industries that will drive a modern economy.

<comedy font>You do wonder with McDonnell's proposal though, whether he's harking back to the 70s and reliving the 3 day week when that kind of union power last had such a positive impact on British life</comedy font>

The workplace is changing in the private sector Bruce. Back in the day large multi nationals were the biggest employers, but now it's small and medium enterprises. Many of these sail very close to the wind and won't be able to withstand the multitude of changes this LP are going to throw at them, both financial and workplace practices.

The unions will have very little representation in these smaller enterprises other than in the building sector I would have thought.

 

[peteblue]

There was a survey of teachers the other week saying most now work 60 hours, so not sure how this would work in the education sector.

Simple, we need twice as many teachers on the same pay to do the same job...and the kids in infant and junior schools will be seeing different teachers all the time...easy this political stuff isn’t it.......

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Employ more teachers. I personally believe we need more specialised teachers in primary schools. In other countries teachers get a huge amount of time out of class to prepare, it's what we should be looking to replicate here.

From where? I thought it was hard enough finding teachers as it is? If we're saying we need twice as many teachers to do what teachers today do...

 

[neil999]

good job for labour the thomas cook story has broke on the same day lol

 

[dannyboy]

We would have to employ fair few teachers though mate that have to be paid for, I know it wouldn't run into huge sums, but still.

Yeah, yeah, it should be the ambition though. Other countries do it, we can too. All these ideas might be radical to some now but so was the idea of having a full weekend off and the thought of a world in which children weren't sent to work.

As society advances, these are the things we should be looking to do to improve people's lives. The idea that we are going to work 9 to 5 for all of eternity will hopefully be proved wrong before I pass from the Earth.

 

[Tubey]

LABOUR: "32 hour week with same pay!"
EMPLOYERS: "We'll move our businesses somewhere sane!"

 

[peteblue]

They said they'd keep wages the same.

Any idea of how they would do that.....

 

[dannyboy]

From where? I thought it was hard enough finding teachers as it is? If we're saying we need twice as many teachers to do what teachers today do...

Two more teachers in each primary school would have a transformative effect. It would free up people to be out of class so much more and prepare for lessons/complete admin during normal working hours.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

We would have to employ fair few teachers though mate that have to be paid for, I know it wouldn't run into huge sums, but still.

There are 450,000 or so FTE teachers in the UK so doubling that would not only be practically very difficult, but would cost £17bn extra per year, which is roughly half of the current schools budget.

 

[Barnfred 55]

I know for a fact I could complete all of my work in a 32 hour week and I'm sure it's the same for plenty of others.

What line of business are you in mate. Public or Private sector?. If Private, do you work for a large or smaller organisation?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Two more teachers in each primary school would have a transformative effect. It would free up people to be out of class so much more and prepare for lessons/complete admin during normal working hours.

This isn't adding two more though is it? Teachers say they work 60 hours a week and Labour want a legal cap of 32.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

I have never really given it a thought before now, but I havnt worked for either a set number of hours nor an hourly rate for what must be 30 plus years. Nor with lunch breaks come to that. The closest to any thing remotely close would be having to be in a meeting or on a plane at a specified time.

That's like my missus roydo, she's out the house at the crack of dawn depending where she has to be, her lunch is eaten in the car between meetings, hospital visits etc, and most nights she's not back in the house till 7 o'clock, she does come home to a nice cooked meal though!

 

[dannyboy]

LABOUR: "32 hour week with same pay!"
EMPLOYERS: "We'll move our businesses somewhere sane!"

You would have been saying that about the idea of having a weekend too in times gone by. I'm not saying it will be easily accomplished but why not be ambitious and try to implement measures that will improve people's lives? What seems radical now, might be not seem so radical in 20 years.