Liberal Democrat MPs urged to scupper EMA plans by
Unite
17 Janaury 2011
Liberal Democrats should vote to scrap plans to abolish
the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), otherwise the
educational and employment opportunities for thousands of young
people will be blighted, Unite, the largest union in the country,
said today (Monday, 17 January).
Unite was commenting before Wednesday’s (19 January)
parliamentary debate on the coalition’s plans which will hit about
300,000 students - half way through their courses - from households
with an annual income of less than £20,800.
Unite’s General Secretary-designate, Len McCluskey said:
‘These plans make a sad mockery of the government’s claims that it
is interested in promoting job creation and will damn hundreds of
thousands of young people who will be unable to reach their full
potential as citizens.’
Len McCluskey said: ‘Now is the time for progressive
Liberal Democrats, such as deputy leader Simon Hughes, to nail
their commitment to social mobility to the mast of
equality.’
‘The Lib-Dems – once the party that proudly promised to
put a 1p in the pound on income tax to pay for education – should
use their voting muscle to scupper the government’s plans. If they
don’t, they will be dubbed ‘the nasty party’.’
‘Without the EMA, there is now every chance that young
people from households with modest incomes will face unemployment
or jobs that pay low wages. We already have one million
16-24-year-olds registered unemployed – we don’t want to add to
this horrific figure.'
‘With the record levels of unemployment among young people, this
just adds to the 'NEET' generation - Not in Education, Employment
and Training - abandoned by the coalition. ’
‘Why should young people, keen on gaining educational
qualifications be forced out of education because they no
longer receive very necessary support that the EMA gives them to
complete their studies?’
‘The EMA is £10-£30 per week, a relatively small amount – the
whole EMA budget of £574 million is itself small beer compared with
what the opulent City elite are paying themselves in bankers’
bonuses.’
The coalition announced its intention to scrap the EMA
during the Comprehensive Spending Review last October. The EMA is a
means-tested allowance of between £10 and £30, paid to 16-19
year-olds who stay on in education. In 2009/10, 635,000 learners
received at least one EMA payment, and some 80 per cent of those
the full £30.
-ends-
Note to new editors:
For further information, please contact Unite
communications officer, Shaun Noble on 07768 693940
