Blair ‘up for the fight’ to secure third term as Prime Minister
PROPOSALS TO make age discrimination illegal and abolish mandatory retirement ages provoked fears during this week of 2003 that people could be forced to work until they were 70.
Union leaders said that Government proposals would not resolve the country’s pensions crisis and could undermine occupational pensions, meaning more people would feel they had to work into their late 60s.
Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt published a consultation paper on tacking ageism in the workplace, which she called the “last bastion of lawful unfair discrimination”.
It made proposals on ways to stamp out age discrimination in employment and training by 2006.
Ms Hewitt said: “We must challenge the ageist assumption that younger employees make the best workers.
“It is vital that we widen the pool of workers so that employers can make the most of the full range of talent and skills available.”
She said the aim was not to force people to work longer but to give more choice to people in their 50s and 60s. A so-called “default” retirement age of 70 was suggested, so that people could work longer if they wanted to.
But union leaders were sceptical, saying the measure could put pressure on people to work longer.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was “up for the fight” to secure a historic third term in office. He also defended two of his most controversial reforms – the establishment of foundation hospitals and the introduction of university topup fees – as necessities to “renew” the welfare state.
His speech to a Labour audience in Liverpool came after a week of union attacks on the Government and ahead of a difficult Commons vote on foundation hospitals.
Tony Woodley, the new leader of the giant transport union, the TGWU, promised to try to “reclaim” the Labour party for socialism, while rail union the RMT decided to cut its affiliation fee to the party by half the previous day.
“Our mission is not to defend the welfare state, the NHS, the 1945 settlement. Our mission is to renew it,” said Mr Blair.
Feminism and the fight for sex equality were seen by the public as oldfashioned ideas which failed to address the strains of modern life, according to research commissioned to mark the 75th anniversary of equal voting rights for women.
The Equal Opportunities Commission study found that feminism was seen as negative by most respondents, with descriptions ranging from old-fashioned to “ball breaking”.
Those questioned felt women were more equal than ever before and they believed that issues such as women’s greater domestic role or concentration in lower-paid jobs were the result of individual choice and natural differences between the sexes which had to be addressed by individuals rather than, as the women’s movement argued, society as a whole.
At Wimbledon Serena reigned supreme, as the mighty Williams sisters continued their dominance of women’s tennis. It was their fifth final together of the latest six grand slam events. Serena beat Venus 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 – showing why she was so far ahead of the pack. It was her second successive Wimbledon title – beating Venus on both occasions – and her sixth slam title in all, with five of those victories coming against her sister.
Elsewhere in London, Chelsea FC was bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for £150m from current chairman Ken Bates, 21 years after he had bought the club for £1.
The Week That Was July 2 - 8, 2003
His speech to a Labour audience in Liverpool came after a week of union attacks on the Government.