Press Release:

No excuses for workplace inequalities – pay our women what they are worth

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Jamie Reed

Member of Parliament for Copeland

November 1^st  2007

1 page

• Copeland MP calls for an end to lower salaries for women in the workplace

Copeland MP Jamie Reed has called on Cumbrian employers to ensure that women in the workplace are being paid equally. His comments come as Unison and the Fawcett Society launched a national fair pay campaign for women.

He said: “Women are still paid less than men in Britain and this is completely unacceptable. When the figures are broken down, the pay gap between men and women is equivalent to men getting paid all year and women working for free from October 30^th – this is indefensible. I do not think that men would tolerate this inequality and I do not know any man who believes that this is a fair state of affairs for his wife, partner, daughter, sister or mother.

“The Government has recognised that there is a gap and I am now calling on every Cumbrian employer to ensure that there is workforce parity – it’s far simpler and cheaper for employers to insist upon this than it would be for Government to introduce new and probably costly legislation. I will be seeking the support of all local trade unions to ensure that this representation is made to both private and public sector employees throughout Cumbria.”  

Jamie Reed

Member of Parliament for Copeland

November 6^th  2007

1 page

End Cumbria’s Health Divide Now

• Copeland residents live shorter lives than residents of Eden and South Lakes
• Copeland MP calls for immediate efforts to raise life expectancy of West Cumbrians
• Equality of life expectancy must be at the centre of new healthcare proposals
• Differences reflect socio-economic divide

Copeland MP Jamie Reed has today launched a new campaign to end the scandal of life expectancy differences between West and East Cumbria. On average, Copeland residents live to 76.1 years old, whilst residents of Eden and South Lakeland live to 78.1 and 78.6 years old respectively.

Jamie Reed said: “This divide is nothing short of a disgrace – an absolute scandal which should make policy makers throughout every corner of Cumbria sit up and take notice. These figures illustrate a sharp divide which show that by and large, the less wealth you have and the poorer the community in which you live, the shorter your life will be. No civilised country or part of a country - can or should accept these inequalities and Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Primary Care Trust and others should now address this issue as a matter of urgency. This is particularly galling as record levels of funding are going into our health services. Clearly, resources need to be better and more effectively targeted at every level and by every relevant organisation to ensure parity of life expectancy. Nothing is more fundamental to social justice than this and its remedy calls for urgent action.

Clearly, there are health inequalities within West Cumbria and also within those areas where people enjoy longer life expectancies, but the facts do not lie.

It takes more than health service funding to end this divide – we need increased funding in our built environment, our schools, our roads and quicker delivery of schemes when they are identified.

Addressing this scandal should be at the heart of the PCT’s new proposals for healthcare in North Cumbria and it does mean that the County Council should look at the levels of spending in West Cumbria which it is responsible for. Every West Cumbrian will be shocked by this statistic and we must now all ensure that the public bodies which are funded by our taxes channel sufficient resources into West Cumbria to solve this problem.

ENDS

For further information / interviews please contact Jamie Reed MP on 01946 62024

For further information / interviews please contact Jamie Reed MP on 01946 62024