By Lisa Toner
“A savage recession, like a war, shakes the traditional identity of men and women.”
Nick Clegg’s 2009 statement could not be closer to the bone for Karen Davidson, a 50 year old part-time admin worker, wife and mother from Midlothian. Her husband David, also 50, was made redundant from his job as a plant operator and has been unemployed for two years. [Read more...]
by Kirsty Tobin
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
As unemployment levels reach levels not seen since the mid-90s, dole queues have escalated almost beyond belief
We were sold the dream of graduating into a thriving economy. We were sold the dream of fine houses, and cars, and comfort. We were sold a social life and an ideal. We were sold the equivalent of the picket fence, the smiling children (one of each), and the labrador retriever sitting on the lawn. We were sold the idea that our degrees would be worth something. We were sold the belief that we would be set up for life.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
When the early warning signs of this global recession started rearing their ugly heads nearly three years ago, our futures crumbled in front of our very eyes. All of a sudden this perfect vision we’d been sold, the perfection we were assured was in all of our futures, was out of our grasp, replaced only with the uncertainty and fear that plagued our parents during the 1980s. Overnight, thousands of college graduates, and prospective graduates, went from being much sought after candidates for employment to being merely possessors of what can only be described as essentially worthless pieces of paper.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Three years ago we were faced with endless possibilities. The world was our oyster. We had everywhere to go and nothing holding us back. But that was then. That was when the live register wasn’t overflowing. That was when there were only 40,600 under-25s signing on every month. That was before the recession, before the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA), before it all went pear-shaped. Now there is twice that number signing on. According to the Irish Central Statistics Office’s seasonally adjusted figures, 88,663 people under 25 signed on last month. And, according to the Irish Labour Youth’s proposals on tackling youth unemployment from early this year, “23% of those aged 20-24 are in neither full-time education nor employment”. That’s an overwhelming number of people, graduates for the most part, who are relying solely on Social Welfare Payments for subsistence.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Thirty years ago, faced with what we are facing today, our parents’ generation graduated and then left Ireland in droves – the United Kingdom and America were lands of hope and opportunity that promised them job security and a chance at a life. At least they had options. This generation isn’t so lucky. Although some countries in mainland Europe and further afield are showing shaky signs of economic recovery, there is still a long way to go before any of these countries are out of the woods. And even further to go before they are capable of supporting foreign job seekers. So we have become largely confined to those economically deficient Emerald shores. We’re doomed to signing on. Despite our best efforts, despite our university educations, we are doomed to being stuck in menial jobs – a fate from which we were supposed to be protected.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
While employment rates among graduates in the UK have risen slightly on figures from last year, this can’t last. There are already much greater unemployment rates than there were two years ago, and with recent cuts to public sector jobs, as well as a rise in the retirement age, finding jobs post-graduation is about to get a whole lot harder. UK students are facing the very same problems that Irish students are. They’re about to graduate under a government that cares so little about them that it’s proposing 40% cuts to university teaching budgets.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Since the recession hit in full force, there has been minimal attention paid to the plight of the disillusioned student masses, and the majority of this was relating to the reintroduction of third-level fees to Irish universities. Other than this, the focus has been on job losses and NAMA, civil-service pay-cuts and ministerial over-spending. There has been, by and large, little notice taken of the thousands of students who are graduating every year into a market that can’t hold them, with nowhere else to go even if they could afford to get there. Historically, students have been instrumental in effecting change. It’s time we followed that example.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
We have been whispering about our futures. Talking about how the recession affects the direction of our lives. Discussing the uncertainty of the coming days and months in hushed tones. It’s time for the tones to become less hushed. It’s time that people realised that there is more to this recession than job losses and pay-cuts; that a younger generation is suffering, neglected and forgotten. It’s time that we students made our voices heard. Let the cry ring forth:
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this!”
Drug users can be paid to be sterilised
By Ryan C. Gavan
The current campaign by U.S. charity Project Prevention to persuade drug and alcohol addicts to be sterilised in return for a payment of £200 has been condemned by addiction support groups.
David Liddel, Director of the Scottish Drug Forum, believes “the tactics and underlying agenda of this organisation smack of the discredited eugenics movements of the early 20th century.” He continued “all women, irrespective of whether they are drug addicts or not, should be offered family planning advice.”
Project Prevention was started in the United States by Barbara Harris, a child welfare campaigner .The charity’s remit is to prevent children from being born with birth defects as a result of drug dependent pregnancies. Their website states “the main objective is public awareness to the problem of addicts exposing their unborn child to drugs during pregnancy.”
The charity argues that “the average number of children per addict is 3.” This, they feel, can be easily prevented through cash incentives for long-term birth control or total sterilisation.
The number of children born to drug addicts is on the rise in the UK. A survey carried out by the University of Aberdeen shows it has increased 30% since 1998. Last week the first UK addict took up the charity’s offer. The addict, from Leicester, was paid after having a vasectomy.
This has been likened to the programme run by Dundee Council to convince smokers to quit by paying them £50 a month.
Widespread redundancies are now commonplace, but Rob Calder saw it as an opportunity to do something different. After uninspiring interviews and no clear vision of what he wanted to do, the bagpiper from Edinburgh had an epiphany.
“I was actually just coming back from football one night thinking to myself; “what am I going to do this summer? Then I thought, I’ll just go travelling and take my bagpipes with me and busk? And it was one of these ideas that just really blossomed. I decided to do it to raise money for charity.”"
“The thing about American’s is that they all love to find out about their identity and origins,” said Rob. “If they’ve got Scottish connections, ninety percent of them just lap it up and they want to know more.”
Unfortunately, one American didn’t want hear any more, as Rob was given a New York welcome on his first day in the Big Apple. “Somebody threw a bucket of water out a first floor window” Rob explained. “Most of it missed me but it made me feel miserable, I was just about to knock it on the head but this guy asked me to keep playing and in the end I made about 50 bucks.”
Ignoring advice on wearing earplugs, Rob played every day of his seven-week one-man tour that saw him travel from the East to West coast of America. Starting off in New York and heading south through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and then crossing the continent through the southern states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, and finally making his way to San Francisco through Arizona and Colorado. “I’d commit to doing it every day, and there was some days when I thought I just couldn’t face it and I was getting so stressed out about it, but I always played. Even if it was nine o’clock at night outside a football ground or a baseball ground I forced myself to play.
“Once you get started it’s always fine but there was always that feeling of “Oh My God, can I really face drawing attention to myself again with this bloody loud instrument? That you sort of think people aren’t gong to enjoy. You almost try to talk yourself out of it. I am really proud that I played every single day.”
In Denver, Colorado, the police came to the response of a complaint. “I thought I was going to get arrested but they were absolutely great, they really enjoyed the bagpipes. I had my picture taken with them and they were a real laugh.”
At the Grand Canyon Rob saw an opportunity to boost the money he would be handing over to the Edinburgh charity Ecas. “I just turned up and started playing.” The scenic views were a perfect backdrop,” Rob told. “…people were really emotional, it was just as the sun was setting as well so it was beautiful. People were really generous. I met a Scottish couple who came across and we started chatting for a while, it was nice to hear a familiar accent.”
The most financially successful destination on route, Rob intended on repeating his Scottish serenade the next day but was turned away due to laws that protect the peace of the historic site. “It was a bit of a downer, but I’m glad I did it ‘cos it was a great place to play the pipes.”
For now it is back to the daily grind for Rob but would he take on another globe-trotting challenge? “I think the conditions would have to be right for met do it again because now I have got a job. It’s one of these things that if have a got a few weeks to kill then I’ll definitely go and do it again, maybe in a different country.”
Rob completed his busking tour in organisation the summer of 2009 and raised over £5000 for Edinburgh charity Ecas, which is a voluntary organisation dedicated to giving practical and friendly help to physically disabled people.
Unemployment figures are set to reach 3 million early next year. We spoke to Heriot Watt University graduates to ask their perspective on the job market and their chances of finding work as a result of their degree.
By Fiona Gardner and Lauren Redpath
Another 40,000 Scots are set to become unemployed next year according to a leading think tank.
Fraser of Allander Institute has predicted that Scotland’s economy won’t grow in 2010, despite the UK’s economic recovery already underway.
While businesses remain optimistic that the recession is coming to an end, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned that Britain’s unemployment figures could rise to nearly 10% of the population by 2011.
With more job losses predicted, the situation will become more difficult for those already looking for work.
Edinburgh Napier News spoke to Zia Jaimson, 24, who was made redundant 5 months ago and is still struggling to find a job.
“I’ve registered with agencies, handed CV’s in and I go to about 3 interviews a month but it’s so hard to get work because there is so much competition and people with more experience than me going for the same job.”
Miss Jaimson worked in IT for the computing company Dell for three years and found out in June this year that her position no longer existed.
“By law Dell had to try to re-locate me within the company but the job they offered me was so far out of my specialism that I couldn’t do it. Four of my colleagues were also laid off at the same time and none of them have found work yet either.
“I was given two months redundancy money which I have managed to last up until now but I need to find work as soon as possible.”
While job-hunting in central Edinburgh, Miss Jaimson told Edinburgh Napier News that she is doing part-time training to become a make-up consultant, to improve her chances of finding a job.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Scottish Tory Finance Spokesman, Derek Brownlee said, “Scotland has suffered hardest from Labour’s debt mountain, Labour’s jobs crisis and Labour’s recession.
“The fact remains that we were first in and last out of this downturn, and Scottish unemployment has rocketed by 50 per cent over the past year.”
By Catherine Henderson
International development charity VSO is offering teachers in Scotland the opportunity to share and build on their skills through volunteering for up to 2 years in over 40 countries across Africa, Asia and South America. The project comes with the added benefit of a government agreed career break scheme which guarantees that jobs will be held for teachers whilst they volunteer.
In a climate where only 1 in 5 Scottish probationary teachers last year found a job, the scheme has the added bonus of freeing up valuable teaching opportunities for newly qualified teachers to then take up those jobs on a short term basis. The number of Scottish teachers claiming jobseekers allowance has soared from 150 in 2005 to more than 400 in 2008.
Susanne Darcy, Relationship Adviser at VSO says “Thanks to the Scottish Career break policy and UK Government pension fund the two biggest barriers to teachers volunteering with VSO have been removed creating a win win situation for all.”
West Lothian teacher, Caroline Pitcairn in Malawi
West Lothian teacher Caroline Pitcairn took up the VSO challenge 2 years ago, volunteering for 18 months in Malawi. Pitcairn, whose role was to pass on her skills and experience of teaching in Scotland and support the introduction of a new curriculum, says “The hardest part was trying to change peoples attitudes to the concept of sharing ideas, there was a tendancy to re-invent the wheel. Personally I gained so much, you have to think on your feet and get your head round all the cultural differences.”
Returning to Winchburgh Primary in West Lothian, Pitcairn found her experience immediately gave her a new insight as a teacher “Volunteering made me feel more confident to develop a greater awareness of international issues into the school, we’re now working on our International Schools Award. I also felt skilled enough to go for a development role within the new Curriculum for Excellence, my VSO experience was vital in proving to myself and the interviewers that I could do the role.”
Pitcairn came back with more than just experience and skills, she also met her Ugandan husband, Jonathan. Pitcairn says “We got married in Uganda a year ago, it was a massive Ugandan wedding party but with a Scottish influence, quite a few Ugandan wedding guests wore kilts!”
By Catherine Henderson
The figures speak for themselves – 1 in every 4 adults have a diagnosable mental health problem in any one year, unemployed people are twice as likely to commit suicide, the UK has one of the highest rates of self harm than any other country in the European Union. Add to these alarming facts new reports which show that the pressure of life in an economic downturn can cause major anxiety and therefore an increase in mental health problems and the need for innovative support becomes that much greater.
Edinburgh based Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Ruth Johnson, is well aware of the pressure that life in a recession can bring to people. Later this month she will introduce her own response by delivering an 8 week course, Johnson says “The course will be targeted at raising people’s self esteem and focussing on how people can help themselves to get through tough times.”
Chief Executive of the mental health charity Mind, Paul Farmer says “Redundancy and money worries put strain on relationships, cause sleepless nights, trigger stress and increase the risk of developing depression. When it comes to the current recession we are in unchartered territory as to how many people could be affected.”
Johnson continues “I see lots of people who are worried and stressed, and feel their lives are out of control. Nobody is immune to self-doubt I’ve worked with people in senior business roles, hospital consultants and teenagers all struggling in different ways with the pressures in their lives. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help people become more resilient and start to look at life and themselves in a more compassionate way.”
The 8 week course at Room4Health in Leith is aiming to offer an alternative to traditional one-to-one support. Johnson says “I will provide techniques on how to break out of negative self image and learn the art of self worth. The course will have a real educational aspect to it, helping people to develop new more supportive mindsets.”
Image courtesy of www.ukstudentlife.com
By Dionne Abolghassem
THE closure of the retail giant Woolworths is just the beginning of the struggle for Britain’s retail sector in the economic downfall.
Over 27,000 employees of Woolies are set to lose their jobs after the company announced they would have all 807 outlets shut down by January 5th.
The failure to find a buyer to rescue the popular franchise before it reaches its one hundredth birthday, is another sign of economic hardship for the UK.
Tony McNulty, Employment Minister, said: “This month’s Labour market figures are very disappointing and we will do all we can to give real support to people during these tough times.”
Almost 100, 000 people are claiming Jobseeker’s allowance as turmoil in the economy forces many into unemployment.
Scotland’s unemployment rate has reached its peak with over 20,000 Scots out of work, the highest levels in nearly 34 years.
By Màiri Thomson
One of the world’s leading heating and plumbing distributors has announced more job cuts today as part of a restructure to help cope with the economic crisis.
Wolseley, which employs 74,000 people in 27 countries announced today that 2,300 jobs will be lost on top of the 5,000 that were cut earlier this year.
On its website the company said: “The Group expects the markets in which it operates to continue to deteriorate in the short term.
“Action will continue to be taken to right size the Group’s businesses over the remainder of this financial year.”
The group also announced that trading profit was down around 30% due to lower profitability in the market. The company’s debts have risen 8% between July and October this year, with profits down by 45%.
Chip Hornsby, Group Chief Executive of Wolseley
Chip Hornsby, Group Chief Executive of Wolseley said: “While these results reflect a further deterioration in the business environment in the first quarter it was not unexpected, and, we continue to react swiftly to market conditions with aggressive but measured cost reduction.
“In these unprecedented circumstances, the key priorities remain driving cost reduction and enhancing cash flow to ensure the Group remains compliant with its banking covenants.”
The company say they are aiming to generate annual savings of £103million whilst reducing debt to help them cope with the downturn in the housing market and building industries.
By Martyn Young
The number of people unemployed in the UK has increased by 140,000 over the last 3 months to 1.82 million people unemployed – the highest level for 11 years.
The official figures released by the government show that the unemployment rate rose to 5.8%, up from 5.4% in the previous quarter. The figures are a clear indication of the effect the credit crunch and global economic downturn is beginning to have on both businesses and employers and ordinary British citizens.
With the UK in the midst of an imminent recession and economic confidence at an all time low these figures could not come at a worse time. The Bank of England has announced in its latest set of forecasts that the economic gloom is only set to worsen as it produced it’s bleakest set of forecasts for over 10 years. The bank said that the UK is already in recession and the economy was likely to suffer well into 2009.
Trade Unions have reacted to the latest figures by urging the government to fight unemployment and protect the British public from job cuts and redundancies. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: ” The signs are that redundancies are coming even faster since these figures were collected. Countering unemployment must be public priority number one.”
The global economic downturn has already forced many firms to downsize their workforce in order to cut costs with firms such as Virgin Media, Yell and GlaxoSmithKline announcing up to 5000 job cuts in the past week with an increase in redundancies across the country of 156,000 during the three months to September.
Derek Simpson, joint secretary of the Unite trade union also called for government action to help ordinary citizens through the economic troubles: “Only urgent and widespread action by government to protect jobs and homes will help hard-pressed families through the worst of this global turmoil.”
Prime Minister Gordon Brown used his monthly press conference today to vow to help people suffering from unemployment: “My personal guarantee is to help every unemployed person and everybody looking for work into work.”
Leader of the Conservatives David Cameron who this morning announced Conservative Tax Rebates for Businesses.
By Lindsay Muir.
Leader of the Conservative party David Cameron this morning announced Tory proposals to slash the National Insurance contributions paid by businesses. The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Gordon Brown hinted at possible tax cuts in the face of a financial crisis that shows no signs of abating.
The Conservatives plan to save businesses £2,500 on their National Insurance contributions should they employ a jobseeker who has been out of work for 3 months or more. They claim that the scheme could save businesses around £2.5bn as well as creating 350,000 jobs. The scheme would be a saving on the £8,000 which the Tories claim is the true cost of unemployment benefit per unemployed worker.
Mr Cameron stated in his press conference this morning “we would like to take that money and give it to employers if they take people off the unemployment register.” His announcement follows, what he claims, was successful implementation of a similar scheme in the United States and Canada.
Gordon Brown has attacked the Conservative proposals after calls for him to “personally guarantee” that unemployment figures will not rise above 3 million. The Premier has defended the new deal scheme calling it “the best employment-creation scheme in the world”, a scheme that the Tories wish to scrap. Mr Brown also stated that the Tories proposal is an expensive one which would not necessarily guarantee the creation of more jobs. He also rubbished the Conservative rejection of tax-credits, which he claims offer the unemployed an added incentive to find work.
This morning’s verbal scrap between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition comes as a Populous poll for the Times newspaper put the Prime Ministers approval rating at 35% up five points on last month while the Tories were down 4 points to 41%. Interestingly 52% of those polled were of the opinion that Gordon Brown was still the best man to deal with the current financial crisis compared to just 32% in support of David Cameron. Nevertheless 42% still believe that David Cameron is the right man to lead Britain after the next general-election.
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