Mothers have to wage unfair war over pay

ONE reason why pay for women remains low is that giving up work for a year or two to look after a young family usually results in a step down to the bottom of the pay and seniority ladder when looking for a job again.

Large employers recruit the majority of their staff from young people who are just leaving the education system and looking for their first job. This is quite a sensible policy for an employer with many jobs to fill but it does leave young mothers out in the cold.

Supermarkets have been very successful in taking advantage of a pool of potential employees who require flexible working hours to look after their family and have the experience and maturity to be reliable workers. Perhaps a few other organisations would benefit from offering similar opportunities.

Poor relations in East Riding

From: AW Clarke, Wold Croft, Sutton on Derwent, York.

I HAVE been interested in the various reports in The Yorkshire Post recently that there is a crisis in the countryside with rising rates of poverty due to low agricultural wages and lack of industry.

Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that there are many families without transport of their own, funding for bus services has dropped by some 10 per cent in the last two years. Here in the East Riding we notice these problems as much as anywhere else.

Contrast this with the fact, according to the leader of the East Riding Council, that though Hull receives £1,692 per household Government funding and North East Lincolnshire £1,353, not to mention £1,122 for North Lincolnshire, we in the East Riding receive only £862 per household. Why? If a county is already poor in terms of income, why does the Government discriminate against it by paying so much less for each household?

Vote to stop this swindle

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

THE question is asked whether Yorkshire is fairly represented by its MPs (The Yorkshire Post, March 3). The answer is clearly no on several counts.

It is very regrettable that there are not more women but I suppose that biologically they will always be more focused on home and family.

I certainly strongly oppose all-women shortlists. Merit should be the only criterion. The ethnic population is also very under-represented.

Politically the system is skewed so that the strong Lib Dem vote is inadequately rewarded. Fraudulent would be too strong a word for this swindle.

Lastly, what about the performance of those who do reach Westminster?

Labour is always dominant up here but they fail to exercise their strength as a body to bring pressure to bear with a fair deal for the North.

We had a Labour government for 13 years and Labour MPs completely failed to apply leverage corporately.

In view of this pathetic performance, it is unbelievable that some favour regional assemblies.

Stop baffling
bills for power

From: David H Rhodes, Keble Park North, Bishopthorpe, York.

SO Labour intend to freeze energy prices if elected as the next government.

Prior to this I would like all energy suppliers to be obliged by law to set out their pricing in a standard format. My supplier is changing my tariff on April 1 (an appropriate date) and introducing a new billing format so even any comparison is nigh on impossible. An example of a standard price format is surely petrol prices at competing garages – a penny more or a penny less – simple to make your choice isn’t it?

Playing with
our train set

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

IT is disturbing to note that TransPennine is to lose nine of its train sets to Chiltern Rail.

One can understand that the poor dears down there need cosseting.

However, it seems there is some good news, from somewhere unspecified extra stock will be found to replace that stolen from the North.

It comes to mind that at Neville Hill Leeds and the depot atop Miles Platting Bank in Manchester there are considerable numbers of Pacer units in varying states of usage.

Perhaps this is what the powers that be have in mind? It would probably take six, possibly eight coaches, to make up a similar train, though the conductor would have to swing between the individual sets, there being no corridor connection. Likewise any trolley service would find difficulty, the gangway being too narrow.

Lining up an
EU retirement

From: Terry Morrell, Prunus Avenue, Willerby, East Yorkshire.

THERE is little wonder that Nick Clegg is trying to make a case for Britain to stay in Europe. Like other “spent” politicians, Neil Kinnock for example, he is hoping for a stipend as an EU Commissioner when he fails to get re-elected at the next election (The Yorkshire Post, March 10).