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Young members newsletter

DWP/MB/058/08

Young Trade Unionists week is being held from 15th to 19th September. This briefing tells you about what is happening during this week and how you can get involved.

The PCS DWP website has launched a specific webpage for young members which will be updated regularly with news and resources.

Training event

We are holding our first one day DWP young members’ training seminar in PCS Leeds on the 31 October 2008.

The purpose of the course is to help young members gain confidence to actively influence our wider union, whilst empowering them to shape the role of the young member representatives within the group.

The event will be a training event for PCS members aged 27 or under in the DWP that are active as representatives or thinking about becoming more involved in union activity. The applications forms are available through your branch or from PCS DWP group office.

For Young Trade Unionist Week 15 - 19 September, recruitment and promotional events are being held across the country to promote the role of young members in PCS. This is an ideal opportunity to speak to young members already active in the union to find out more about joining the union or getting more involved.

Low pay and call centre conditions

The focus of the week in the DWP is the intense working conditions in call and contact centres, and low pay. Young workers are often the lowest paid in the workplace and have missed out on the pay progression that members used to get in the past. This has a real impact on the lives of younger workers as many cannot afford to move out of home or get a mortgage. Many young members are on casual or fixed-term contracts, or work in contact/call centre environments. Difficult working conditions, high turnover of staff and poor job security are therefore issues that often hit young workers the hardest. PCS young member reps will be promoting the ‘call centre charter’ which calls for improved and minimum fair standards for call centre workers. A low pay petition will also be available to sign. You can access these documents on the PCS national young members website.