Chuka Umunna MP

This week sees the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, helping raise awareness of the Fairtrade brand and the benefits it has brought to workers in developing countries. Sales of Fairtrade goods have gone from strength to strength, growing on average by 40% per year, while the worldwide market for Fairtrade goods is seventy times as large as it was ten years ago.

This trend of ethical shopping reflects a growing awareness of development issues and a desire to influence positive change. Fairtrade goods ensure a fair deal for producers through a guaranteed price and that social and environmental standards are met. The ‘Fairtrade premium’, which is the money paid on top of the minimum price for the product, is reinvested in local development projects, decided upon democratically by the workers themselves. In developing countries, Fairtrade has made huge strides in improving pay, living conditions and opportunities whilst putting local communities in the driving seat.

Trade plays a crucial role in sustainable development. As well as committing significant resources to ethical trading initiatives such as Fairtrade, the Government has led international efforts to secure fairer trading rules. The ‘Aid for Trade’ initiative helps developing countries build their trading capacities, and will receive over £400m a year from the Government by 2010.

At its heart, Fairtrade is about empowering workers in the developing world. Visit the Fairtrade foundation’s website and watch the short film above, from South Africa, to find out more about the gains it can bring.

A local man looks set for stardom, after his single made this year’s Brit Awards album.

Stone Walters is a soul singer from Streatham Hill, who attended the Brit School, whose famous graduates include Amy Winehouse and Adele. Not only that, but at 32, Stone has made this year’s Brit Album, released ahead of the 2009 Brit Awards, appearing alongside the Kings of Leon and Girls Aloud.

Click here to find our more about Stone’s success and see an interview with him on the Brits red carpet.

Carys Afoko

New measures to clamp down on fare dodgers and make stations in Streatham and Tulse Hill safer were announced by Labour Transport Minister, Andrew Adonis, yesterday.

The new £5.5 million project will improve security at Streatham, Streatham Hill, Streatham Common, Tulse Hill and 10 other stations in South London using new ticketing gates which will save train bosses from incurring substantial revenue losses. As part of this, ‘wide aisle’ gates will be introduced at every station to accommodate wheel chairs, pushchairs and luggage.

This follows the recent installation of Europe’s longest ticketing line at Waterloo station, where security has improved on trains and passengers can now transfer more easily to Underground services.

From as early as March the new ticket gates will be staffed when operational. From next year they will be staffed for 15 hours per day, including between 7pm and 11pm, improving security and making it safer for passengers to travel late at night.

Explaining the much welcomed investment, Adonis said “as the experience at Waterloo has proven, these measures will improve station security by increasing staffing at night seven days a week”. Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, added that “delivery is what people want to see and this is tangible evidence of that.”

In total some 68 normal, wide aisle or manual gates are due to be installed by Transport for London (TfL) and Southern. Additional ticket machines will also be installed at Tulse Hill station to make it easier for passengers to purchase tickets.

Chief Executive of Passenger Focus, the rail users pressure group, Anthony Smith, said,
“Gating can bring benefits. Clearly passengers who do the right thing and pay for their ticket should not be forced to subsidise those who try to cheat the system.
“One of the key advantages of installing gates is that they must be supervised and therefore staff are present and visible at the station.
“Passengers tell us that they feel safer when there are staff around and it also means they can ask advice about their journey and easily seek out help.
“However, their introduction should be judged on a case by case basis to ensure paying passengers will benefit from their installation.”

In Parliament last week, senior Conservatives MPs introduced a Bill which would effectively scrap the National Minimum Wage.

The group of MPs led by the former minister and shadow cabinet member Christopher Chope MP have put forward a Ten Minute Rule bill which would make the National Minimum Wage (currently set at £5.73) effectively redundant by allowing employees to opt out of receiving the minimum wage in the same way that they may opt out of the maximum 48 hour working week.

Labour’s introduction of the minimum wage back in 1998 was a groundbreaking step in overcoming poverty and ending the tyranny of low pay. When the NMW came into being, wages of as little as £1.20 an hour were common and legal – that’s just £1.38 an hour in today’s prices!

The minimum wage has both protected workers and raised living standards for the worst off in society. Its introduction was bitterly opposed by the Tories, but contrary to their predictions, the minimum wage has been a resounding economic success. As well as providing an increased incentive for getting back to work, it has resulted in firms being keener to invest in their employees.

The minimum wage has also created a more motivated and productive workforce. Since its introduction, the rate of the minimum wage has increased steadily, helping an increasing number of workers. The 2007 increase alone benefited over 70,000 earners in London.

But Conservative MPs have shown they want to put this all in jeopardy. It is difficult to imagine the last decade without the minimum wage, and the inroads the government has made into child poverty would have been impossible if it had not been in place. In the current situation, with individuals and families under increased economic pressure, the fact Conservatives politicians are considering such policies is baffling and seriously worrying. The last thing we need is a return of poverty pay.

 
Labour has launched a free theatre scheme that will provide 618,000 free theatre tickets across England for the next two years. Under the scheme young people in Streatham, Balham, Brixton, Clapham and Tulse Hill will be able to visit over 40 London venues, including the National Theatre on the South Bank, to see plays for free. Learn more about the scheme by watching actor and comedian Eddie Izzard’s video below and then visit the scheme’s website here: Labour’s Free Theatre Scheme.
 

There are less than 2 weeks to go, before Lambeth’s young people vote for their new Youth Mayor.

The Youth Mayor is spokesperson for young people in Lambeth and provides a link between the young people, media, decision-makers and service-providers. They will be responsible for allocating £25,000 to projects designed for and run by local young people and work in partnership with the Lambeth Youth Council to highlight and campaign on issues which are important to local people.

If you are registered to vote, you’ll be able to pick your candidate online from the 20th February, or on polling day in Lambeth schools on February 26th.

For more information and to see this year’s candidates visit the Lambeth Youth Council Website.

Carys Afoko

Chuka has put his diary from Obama’s inauguration onto his Facebook page.

Click here to see what Chuka got up to and to share your inauguration day memories.

Also on the Discussion Board is a thread on how to address violence amongst young people. You can join the debate here.

Carys Afoko