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Supporting young members in the DWP

DWP/BB/123/08

Briefing DWP/MB/051/08 set out the DWP young members organising plan for the year ahead. This briefing gives details of how regions and branches can support young members and help to ensure the successful implementation of this plan.

Branch young member officers

A key organising priority is to increase the number of branch young members officers and get more young members active in PCS.

There are currently only 31 branch young members officers recorded on commix in the DWP. However, the Young Members Advisory Committee (YMAC) believes there is an under-recording of branch young members officers.

A list is attached of those branches that currently have a young members officer recorded on commix. If your branch has a young members officer but is not included in this list the under-recording can easily be resolved by updating your branch records on commix or by emailing PCS DWP group office with details of your branch young members officer.

If your branch does not have a young members officer please contact your regional young members officer or a member of the DWP Young Members Advisory Committe and invite them to your BEC to share their knowledge and ideas and help arrange meetings to get young members involved.

The DWP Young Members Advisory Committee has agreed that each region should try to organise at least one meeting of the branch young members officers in that region in order to help them to network and support each other.

Training for young members

A young members training seminar will be held in Leeds on 31 October. This seminar will to help define and shape the role of branch young members officers. Details of this course are in briefing DWP/MB/058/08. Please ensure that it is passed to all interested young members and encourage them to apply.

Young trade unionist week

Young trade unionist week will take place 15 – 19 September. Young Members Advisory Committee members and regional young members officers have been encouraged to arrange events or recruitment drives during this week. Thursday 18 September has been nationally selected as the ‘call centre day’; the call-centre charter will be re-launched and Young Members Officers should target contact/call centre workplaces on this date. The focus of the week is low pay in the DWP group, a low pay petition can be found on the PCS website.

The ultimate purpose of the week is to encourage more young workers to join the union and to get young members to become more active. Currently, around 63% of young workers in the DWP are members, and we hope to increase this by at least 5% within the year. Young TU week is a good opportunity to begin this work

Branches and regions are encouraged to

  • Update commix where there is a young members officers in the branch
  • Where there is no branch young members officer invite the regional young members officer or a member of the DWP Young Members Advisory Committee to branches and BEC meetings
  • Help regional and branch young members officers to organise events or leafleting for Young Trade Unionist Week
  • Distribute the call centre charter and low pay petition to young members during Young Trade Unionist Week
  • Promote the young members training seminar on 31st October
  • Regional organisers to work with regional young members officers to arrange at least one meeting for all branch young members officers in that region before May 2009.