Work TV

24 per cent of all people in Wales were living in relative income poverty between 2014-15 and 2016-17 (i.e. the financial year ending March 2015 and the financial year ending March 2017).

This is up from 23 per cent between 2013-14 and 2015-16, the rate it had stood at for the last 5 time periods.

Children were the age group most likely to be in relative income poverty between 2014-15 and 2016-17 (at 28 per cent) and this has been true for some time. However, the rate has fallen from 30 per cent between 2013-14 and 2015-16. A possible reason for children consistently being the age group most likely to be in relative income poverty is that adults with children are more likely to be out of work or in low paid work due to childcare responsibilities.

Relative income poverty for working-age adults has been steady, but it has risen from 23 per cent between 2013-14 and 2015-16 to 24 per cent between 2014-15 and 2016-17.

The percentage of pensioners living in relative income poverty has been rising for the past 4 periods (reaching 20 per cent between 2014-15 and 2016-17) but it is still below what it was in the mid to late 1990s.

Image: Poverty is rising in Wales.

The powerful trade union Unite’s annual policy conference kicks off today, with delegates due to hold debates on keeping Britain in the single market and on holding a second EU referendum. Anti-Brexit campaigners are wisely targeting Jeremy Corbyn’s two power bases — Unite and the grassroots Momentum movement — as their best hope of forcing the Labour leader to soften his stance.

Image: Len McCluskey

Unite chief Len McCluskey is due to speak mid-morning.

ABC Note: People are geeting fed up with BREXIT. The public feel ignored, rising crime, the NHS and Education are getting put on the back-burner. 

ABC Comment: Have your say below:

The Live Vacancy event continues to grow as hundreds of youngsters aged between 16 and 24 attended an event last week to explore employment and training opportunities.

The event is the third of its kind with the one hosted in March attracting more than 1,000 youngsters. As a result, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Youth Service teamed up with Careers Wales to host another event which saw more than 60 employers and training providers attend to offer guaranteed job and training opportunities to successful candidates.

Pupils from Lewis School Pengam Cai Cordell, Declan Boulton and Ben Staniland attended to facilitate a short live broadcast and interviewed some of the training providers. The footage can be found on the Council’s Facebook page.

Image: Courtesy: caerphillyobserver.co.uk Caerphilly Fire Station.

Steve Logan, Station Commander at Caerphilly Fire Station said: “This is a great opportunity to provide information about becoming an on call Fire Fighter. We’re currently recruiting at local fire stations and this is the perfect chance to meet potential candidates.”

During the event the Mayor of Caerphilly Council, Cllr. Michael Adams presented 2 learners from Ystrad Mynach College with certificates for improved learning, pupils presented were;

Miss Kirsten Jenkins - Business studies and Mr. Dylan Reynolds - Art & Design.

Cllr Sean Morgan, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Wellbeing of Future Generations, commented, “We have responded to public demand and hosted another Live Vacancy Event to coincide with the end of term for year 11 pupils. The level of attendees continues to grow and we have had great feedback from those attending the event.”

Debbie Powell from Careers Wales said, “We are delighted to support this event again bringing together employers and young people for the prosperity of the local area.”

ABC Comment: Were you at this event? Have your say below.

Ann Black is a member of the British Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC), and she was  Chair of the Labour Party from September 2009 to September 2010, and is part of the Grassroots Alliance group of NEC members.

We met Ann recently and we liked what she had to say - she has a great sense of humour, something you need today to survive in the swamp that politics has become.

This is what Ann has to say in her own words. 

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Ann Black’s NEC Election Address
 
“Your choice today will decide Labour’s future as a diverse, socialist, election-winning party.  Please use your vote.
 
More than 100 constituencies nominated me because I am
 
Accountable – I’ve reported after every meeting since 2000 and talked with thousands of members in person and by email.  No other candidate has a comparable record.
 
Principled – under leaders from Tony Blair to Jeremy Corbyn I voted with centre-left grassroots comrades against austerity, privatisation, selective education and war in Iraq, and for public services, progressive taxation, social housing and decent pensions and benefits.  As a UNISON steward for 30 years I know that working people need a Labour government.
 
Inclusive – we all owe loyalty to our democratically-elected leader, and I have no time for grandstanding egotists.  However, our party is a broad church.  Every member must be heard with respect, not treated as the enemy within. 
 
Democratic – I achieved one-member-one-vote for national policy forum elections and steered the women’s conference towards formal motions.  In 2016 I voted for Jeremy Corbyn to be on the ballot, and against excluding people with less than six months’ membership.
 
I ask you to support me and cast your other votes only for individuals that you know and trust.”
 
____________________________________________________________________________________
 
I also need help on social media, particularly in refuting fake news.  This includes claims that
 
1)         I voted for members who joined within six months to be excluded from the leadership ballot in 2016.
 
Fact:  I voted against a six-month cut-off date.  Unfortunately some NEC members had left the room and I lost.  I voted for Jeremy Corbyn to be on the ballot automatically.
 
2)   As Chair of the disputes panel I was responsible for suspending CLPs, and suspending or expelling many individual members.
 
Fact:  Suspensions are implemented by the general secretary and referred to meetings of the disputes panel.  Decisions are made by all panel members.  The Chair has no special power.  As Christine Shawcroft found out – she resigned after two meetings when the panel did not vote as she wished.
 
Any other allegations, please let me know and I will get back to you.  A couple of further points:
 
3)   I have voted with other centre-left grassroots alliance representatives on the NEC and the NPF for 20 years, and I challenge Momentum to name a single policy difference between us.
 
4)   I have reported more consistently, visited more local parties, replied to more messages, than any other candidate.  Ask people how many other NEC members or candidates reply to their emails.
 
Next week I’ll report on the NEC subcommittee meetings on Tuesday 3 July.
 
Thank you again, and best wishes

We were at Housing 2018 this week in a very sunny and smoky Manchester due to the nearby fires on the moors.

We will be doing a round up of some of the more interesting ideas we came across, but after a lengthy trip up and back we are feeling a little jaded here at ABC HQ.

Getting sunburnt in a car is not quite the norm for the UK. It was certainly hot. 

Fantastic exhibition and well worth a trip. More on Housing 2018 later. 

Manchester is a buzzing place. Here are a couple of street scenes. 

 Image: Queen Victoria looking very regal. Most pedestrians seemed more interested in cooling off by the fountains. 

ABC Comment: Were you at Housing 2018. What did you think..?

In 2017, in the US 18.7 percent of persons with a disability were employed, compared with 65.7 percent of those with no disability. The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 9.2 percent, compared with 4.2 percent for those with no disability.

According to The Precisionists Inc. (TPI) out of the 9.7 million American veterans between the ages of 18 – 64, 12.6% are living with a disability. That translates to over 1.2 million veterans in that age group with a physical or cognitivedisability. Also, there are over 9 million American veterans over the age of 65, and currently 39% have a disability. That means over 3.5 million veterans over 65 in the U.S. are living with a disability.

This population of over 4.7 million disabled veterans deserves a chance to live their lives with independence and dignity given the incredible sacrifice they have made to their country. Having a meaningful job and career is a major component to achieving independence and dignity.

ABC Comment please have your say below:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of Apprenticeship.gov.

Apprenticeship.gov delivers on the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion's recommendation to "compile apprenticeship information in a single, online, centralized website." The website will evolve into a robust one-stop platform to connect job seekers, job creators, training providers, parents, teachers, and federal and local workforce agencies with information and resources to learn more about apprenticeships, how to establish apprenticeship program, and how to access open apprenticeship opportunities.

The initial launch of Apprenticeship.gov comes at the one-year anniversary of President Trump's Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America, which directed the U.S. Department of Labor to expand access to apprenticeship opportunities to help more Americans secure family-sustaining jobs. The Executive Order also created the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion to identify strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships. The Task Force released its final report on May 10, 2018.

Apprenticeship programs utilize a learn-while-you-earn model that provides workers with a career path that includes paid on-the-job instruction, skills development, and mentorship, while providing job creators with highly skilled workers.

ABC Comment: have your say below.