[00:14.94]Getting a good job in Britain today is far from easy.
[00:22.10]More and more young people are going to university,
[00:27.38]so a degree has become the minimum qualification required,
[00:32.84]whereas once it was a magical door-opening piece of paper.
[00:38.69]If your CV does catch a potential employer’s eye
[00:45.06]and you’re lucky enough to get called in for an interview,
[00:49.82]you then encounter the next hurdle:
[00:54.07]you find yourslef in a Catch-22 situation
[01:00.13]where you can’t get a job unless you’ve got work experience and,
[01:06.30]of course,there’s no way you can get any work experience
[01:11.76]until someone feels like giving you a job!
[01:16.20]If and when you do finaly manage to land a job,
[01:21.97]you then realise that your troubles have only just begun.
[01:27.22]The last twenty years have seen radical changes in employment laws,
[01:34.69]very few of which have benefited young workers in any way.
[01:39.94]Full-time contracts seem to have become a thing of the past,
[01:45.22]and instead you’ll probably be offered a short-term casual contract
[01:51.18]-even if they’re talking about employing you full-time!
[01:56.14]I’ve heard of people who’ve worked full-time for six or seven years
[02:02.70]and who are still being paid by the hour!
[02:06.96]One good thing that has changed recently,though,
[02:11.92]is that at least you’re now entitled to the national minimum wage.
[02:17.56]Living on less than five pounds an hour isn’t easy,
[02:22.52]but at least you can’t be totally ripped off by your bosses anymore.
[02:27.96]Because of all these changes,there’s not much job security anymore.
[02:34.41]Companies have learned how to dress up mass redundancies in media-friendly language,
[02:42.17]calling huge job cuts’down-sizing’or’corporate restructuring’!
[02:48.83]If you do end up out of work,don’t expect your union to be much help.
[02:54.89]The power of trade unions was cut dramatically in the 1980s
[03:00.53]after the endless industrial action of the 70s
[03:05.52]and today they’ve become a little bit toothless.
[03:10.17]However,as a recent landmark legal case has shown,
[03:15.84]it’s not all down ang gloom,and there is still hope for the workers.
[03:22.19]Last month who casual workers,
[03:26.86]who were never offered proper contracts of employment,
[03:31.62]won the right to the same benefits as full-time workers.
[03:36.87]A judge said that because Mrs Carmichael,35,
[03:42.93]and Mrs Leese,36,had signed letters accepting jobs at Blyth Power Station,
[03:50.19]they should have been treated the same as any other full-time employee of National Power.
[03:57.27]However,the two women had been denied holiday and sick pay
[04:02.63]and many other benefits normally given to full-staff.
[04:08.19]Despite taking income tax from their pay,
[04:13.23]making the women wear company uniforms,
[04:17.91]and giving them the use of company cars,
[04:22.06]National Power tried to insist that Mrs Carmichael
[04:27.42]and Mrs Leese never worked directly for the company.
[04:32.27]They were,therefore,refused a proper contract,
[04:37.84]and were not given any employment protection or benefits.
[04:42.80]The judge’s decision means that casual workers all over the country
[04:49.28]can now fight for the right to sick pay,
[04:53.64]holiday pay,maternity leave and other benefits.
[04:58.79]The judgement also means that casual workers
[05:03.75]can appeal against unfair dismissal by their employer
[05:09.00]if they are sacked without reason.
[05:12.66]A solicitor acting on behalf of the two women
[05:18.01]said it was a major breakthrough in employment law,
[05:22.69]which was likely to have a very positive effect on the working lives
[05:28.02]of thousands of men and women employed on a casual basis.
[05:33.27]2 While you listen
[05:44.63]Listen to three of the people in the pictures talking about their jobs.
[05:50.59]As you listen,try to decide what their job is.
[05:56.15]So,what exactly does your job involve then?
[06:01.30]Well,basically.I prepare all the prescriptions
[06:06.73]and keep a check on all the drugs we have in stock.
[06:11.28]I also give advice to people who come in with minor problems.
[06:17.05]You know the sort of thing-what cream to use for a rash,
[06:22.51]what to take for an upset tummy-that sort of thing.
[06:26.95]Sometimes,I’m just like a shop assistant,selling things over the counter;
[06:32.91]other times I feel like I’m a doctor.
[06:37.27]So,how long have you been doing this,then?
[06:45.81]All my life-since I left school.I worked with my I father,
[06:52.79]and now I’ve got my son working with me.
[06:56.84]I really enjoy working with wood.
[07:00.99]I love taking a piece of wood and turning it into something useful.
[07:06.87]I learned everything I know from watching my father and the older men at work.
[07:13.53]Now,it’s great passing on my skills to younger guys.
[07:19.09]So,do you enjoy doing what you’re doing?
[07:27.35]Yeah,well,I mean,somebody’s got to it,haven’t they?
[07:33.09]Just think,if nobody did it,what would the place be like?
[07:38.87]I mean,when I was a boy,if you dropped something,the police would be after you,
[07:45.32]but these days people don’t care.
[07:49.89]They just drop everything-coke cans,cigarette packets,
[07:55.95]newspapers,everything,you name it,I’ve picked it up.
[08:02.30]Mind you,I’ve found the odd $20 note.
[08:07.76]I’d never work indoors.I just couldn’t stand it.
[08:13.92]3 Boss jokes
[08:26.17]Listen to the jokes.Mark the stresses and pauses.
[08:32.84]1.He’s really flexible.He lets me come in any time I want before nine,
[08:40.28]and then less me leave whenever I want after five!
[08:45.24]2.He’s so mean that if you’re three minutes late for work,he fines you,
[08:53.79]and if you turn up five minutes early he actually starts charging you rent!
[08:59.43]3.He’s really hard on late-comers.
[09:07.79]Actually,one day one of his assistants turned up over an hour late,covered in blood,
[09:14.32]and as he staggered over to his desk,
[09:18.55]my boss went up to him and asked him where he’d been.
[09:23.20]The assistant apologised and said he’d fallen down three flights of stairs.
[09:29.97]’What?’said my boss,’that took you a whole hour,did it!’
