30 March 2007
Tony Blair delivered the seventh in his series of Our Nation’s Future lectures in Manchester today. You can watch it again by following the links below.
This time the focus was on the role of work in the 21st century. The PM insisted that it was time to put "work" back at the centre of the political debate.
He said the government should support those who feel insecure or pressured by the challenges of the globalised economy - this includes giving people the skills and education to compete.
Employees rights should also be strengthened further to build on the success of the minimum wage. He was pleased that maternity pay is to be extended from six to nine months from next week.
The PM went on to speak about the true meaning of work/life balance when he said:
"It is not about balancing something we do because we have to; with something by contrast we want to do. It is about taking control over our own lives, at work and at home and managing both to our own satisfaction - job and family life.
"It is about personal empowerment: a fulfilling job done and organised in such a way as to allow us the chance of fulfilling the non-work parts of our life."
- Take part in our role of work webchat
- Read more about the lecture
- Read expert papers which have helped inform the PM
- Case studies of people who benefited from the strong economy
While in the North West on Thursday, Mr Blair toured a BT office in Stockport to see how the firm is helping customers develop home working and on-the-move technology. He also visited Zetex, a technology firm in Oldham, and banking and insurance firm CIS, in Manchester.
The PM began the lecture series to focus on the biggest issues facing the country today. Previous topics have included community cohesion, defence, criminal justice and public health.
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