'It's Shameless To Blame Workers' Rights And Fair Pay For The Youth Unemployment Crisis,' Union Chief Says

Writing for HuffPost UK, TUC's Paul Nowak urged against looking for "scapegoats" or "easy answers" when it comes to the NEETs dilemma.

Let’s be crystal clear from the outset: workers’ rights and the minimum wage are not to blame for the NEETs crisis.

Youth unemployment didn’t appear overnight. It’s the result of more than a decade of austerity under the previous government, a failed apprenticeship system, weak economic growth, and deep regional inequality.

But if you followed this week’s headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking the crisis was brand new.

Ahead of Alan Milburn’s landmark review into young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), right-wing politicians and business leaders tripped over themselves to blame workers’ rights and minimum wage rises.

Rishi Sunak called for the Low Pay Commission to be scrapped. Tony Blair attacked the government’s........

© HuffPost