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BBC News
By David Deans
image captionShould people receive a basic income?
A proposed pilot for a universal basic income (UBI) in Wales could involve people leaving care, the Welsh government has said.
UBI would be a sum of money paid to everyone, which supporters say would ensure people do not fall through gaps in the benefit system.
Others argue it is not clear whether it would be the best way to ease poverty.
The UK government, which controls benefits, said it did not think it would be an incentive to work.
The plan revealed by First Minister Mark Drakeford at the weekend follows increased interest in the idea from policymakers and debates across the world, with a number of projects having taken place.
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In mid-2020, 47 per cent of people using food banks were indebted to the DWP, making it the most common creditor to this cohort (PA)
Nearly half of food bank users are in debt to the government, research shows, prompting renewed calls for ministers to scrap the five-week wait for universal credit, which forces people to take out advance loans.
The study, published by the Trussell Trust, reveals that between 22 June and 30 July 2020, 47 per cent of people using food banks were indebted to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), making it the most common creditor to this cohort.
Frances OâGrady, the general secretary of the TUC, said the government was rowing back from its commitments at a pivotal moment for workers.
âThis pandemic has brutally exposed the terrible working conditions and insecurity many of our key workers in retail, care, and delivery face,â she said. âWe need action now to deal with the scourge of insecure work â not more dithering and delay.â
Warren Kenny, the acting general secretary of the GMB union, said workers had been âfobbed off repeatedlyâ by ministers promising to boost employment protections, leaving bosses free to use underhand tactics with impunity.
âWarm words on workersâ rights are betrayed by this governmentâs abject lack of leadership. This is an historic missed opportunity at a time when unscrupulous employers are exploiting the pandemic to attack good quality jobs,â he said.
BBC News
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Employers groups and trade unions have expressed concern at the lack of an Employment Bill in the Queen s Speech.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously promised such a bill amid fears that workers rights could be watered down after the UK left the EU.
But Downing Street blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the delay.
The TUC said the government had rowed back on its pledge, while the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) said the bill was long overdue .
REC chief executive Neil Carberry said he was surprised by the lack of a specific Employment Bill in the government s legislative programme .