British
government cuts funding for agency that protects workers
The
Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS), the British
government agency responsible for protecting workers from being
exploited by their employers, has had more than 50 percent of its
funding cut since the Conservative party came to power.
EAS
“works with agencies, employers and workers to make sure that
employment rights are complied with, particularly for vulnerable
workers.”
Britain’s
opposition Labour Party has called on Prime Minister Theresa May to
take action, urging her to restore the EAS to its former size. The
Labour party says that the EAS’ budget has been slashed down to
just £500,000 a year, which represents a cut of 53 percent in just
six years. It also has just had its staff force cut down by 70
percent.
During
her short campaign to be the prime minister, May delivered a speech
in which she promised to crack down on “irresponsible behavior in
big business."
However,
British lawmaker Ian Lavery has criticized the government for its
“unwillingness to stand up for working people.” He added that
“the government is leaving too many workers at the whim of
unscrupulous employers.”
UK
Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has been a staunch critic of the Tory
party’s policies, saying once in an interview, “we have attacked
this Budget for what it is -- at the very core of it is unfairness
and injustice within our society. That is what the Tory Party is
about.” He says that in his party they “have stood up to try to
defend the worst off in society, the most vulnerable in society.”
Britain’s
former coalition government, led by the Conservatives, launched
crippling austerity measures, including welfare cuts, when it came to
power in 2010 in a bid to tackle the country’s mounting debt and
sluggish growth following the 2009 financial crisis in Europe.
The
current UK Tory government is pushing ahead with its austerity agenda
since it came to power last May despite public protests against
controversial cuts in recent years.
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