20th May 2008 - Guidelines for Employment Policies

Delivered by Derek Clark on 20 May 2008

Tags: employment, policies

Speech to Parliament 20th May 2008 Debate: Guidelines for Employment Policies Well, if the Lisbon Strategy is beginning to work why has part-time work risen from 16% to 18% over the last few years? Why has the share of people with involuntary Fixed term Contracts, with no security, reached over 6.5%? The rapporteur admits that EU unemployment was 8.9% in 2005, due to fall to 7.1% this year, but will it?

In the UK unemployment is about 5.8%. Combating unemployment does not need a policy, it needs a shot in the arm . Talking of which, was the hypodermic system invented by a Commission, or by a Parliament or by a Committee? It was not,- someone had a bright idea and good ideas always, always, spread. For good ideas read Best Practices and best practices are for sharing. So, look at the UK's superior employment figures noted just now.

They are better because our best practices include; - maintaining our opt-outs from the useless Working Time Directive - not taking the Euro - but continuing to trade world-wide, outside the EU, more than any other member state. There's my shot in the arm, will you take it?

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg May 20th 2008