No doubt most of you have heard the news that people using foodbanks in the UK has tripled.
This is a disgrace, especially in a country that has the 6th largest economy, with so much wealth moving around the country combating this ever growing problem may seem quite simple, it could even be summed up in the phrase 'From each according to his ability, to each according to his need'. When faced with the numbers its quite easy to come to the conclusion: Something just doesn't add up! However a capitalist society does not think like that, its quite happy to go on reporting about growing levels of inequality and poverty as if that's just simply the way things are supposed to be, trust me its not supposed to be this way, nor does it have to be!
A socialist government would not only feel ashamed of the amount of people using foodbanks but it would feel a great sense of sorrow, knowing that there are many people out there struggling to get by and make ends meet. Feelings of compassion and comradeship would take over and drive the government to do something about it, something drastic! The amount of people using foodbanks has increased due to unemployment, underemployment and a below living wage.
To combat this the Socialist Labour Party would immediately put into place the following:

Unemployment:
-A four-day working week
-A ban on all non-essential overtime
-Retirement on a voluntary basis with full pay at age 55

These steps would create jobs for all who are able to work, but they must be real jobs - whether full-time or part-time (for those who cannot work full-time). They must be permanent jobs (no more short-terms contracts) and they must be jobs paying a decent wage.
The introduction of a four-day working week, a ban on all non-essential overtime and voluntary retirement on full pay at age 55 would cost £85 billion. The vast majority if not all of this cost could be met out of the £80 billion currently paid out in unemployment and related benefits and by National Insurance contributions which would flow from the increased number of people in work.
Money lost through unemployment - lost through lack of purchasing power and income tax revenue - costs taxpayers at least £35 billion a year. Our employment policies would not only mean jobs for unemployed workers but a better deal all round for Britain's taxpayers.
We must re-establish a British motor car industry with a Socialist perspective. Economically, if the French and Germans can each support three major motor car manufacturers, then Britain - which gave birth to the industrial revolution - can surely sustain a publicly owned motor car industry, an industry which meets social and environmental needs.

Minimum Wage:
The Socialist Labour Party is totally committed to setting a proper statutory national minimum wage as the first essential step in putting things right. We call for the introduction of a minimum wage of £10 per hour - a figure which would give workers on a 35-hour week £350, or an annual wage of £18,200.
Women workers, including those who work part-time, must be guaranteed equal pay (along with equal conditions and promotion opportunities) and young workers must have the same pay and conditions as other workers.
The introduction of a national minimum wage of £10 per hour would cost £10 billion, a figure, which could be easily met out of the massive profits of the oil companies. Even today, the revenue paid by oil companies to central government could be trebled without any trouble, particularly if these oil companies are taken into public ownership.

Unfortunately we cant just simply snap our fingers and make these things a reality, we need support and membership to make this happen. If you believe in and agree with what has been said then visit our facebook page, view our website and talk to SLP members, its time to show the ruling elite of this country that British households are hungry for social justice! Lets put an end to poverty in this country!

¡Hasta la Victoria Siempre!