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Jobs not dole

8 June 2009

Both the PCS national young members’ committee and annual delegate conference support the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign. We asked Sean Figg, national organiser to explain why this initiative is needed.

When penny-pinching bosses downsize staffing levels they find it cheaper to get rid of young workers. Redundancy payments do not kick in until a worker has been with a company for more that two years and unfair dismissal cannot be raised until 12 months of employment has passed.
 

This will compound the effect that recruitment freezes and 'last in, first out' agreements will have on young workers. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has said that 50% or employers surveyed will not be taking on any school leavers this summer.

Uncertain future


Those seeking an escape from the dole queues by continuing or returning to education may well be in for disappointment, as this option becomes further restricted. Head teachers report that, at sixth form colleges, due to a funding shortfall, some 9,000 existing places will not be financed next year.
 

At university, some 28,000 applicants are expected to be turned away as the government reduces the expansion of spaces and threatens universities with financial punishments if they oversubscribe students.
 

Those who manage to get a university place face the daunting prospect of a massive hike in tuition fees. When the director of the Office for Fair Access is reported as saying that universities should be allowed to raise fees to up to £5,000 a year, this is a threat that must be taken very seriously indeed.

Building mass support
 

The fightback against this worsening situation has taken a big step forward with the decision of PCS to support the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign (YFJ). More recently, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) have also pledged support.

YFJ is determined that Bank of England adviser David Blanchflower's statement about the "permanent scars" caused by long-term youth unemployment on its victims' mental health, confidence, earnings and opportunities in later life does not become a reality.