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Reaching out to schools

12 November 2008

Less than one in ten 16- to 24-year-olds are in a union, so there's a big job to do in selling the idea of unions to young people. And where better to start than when they are still in school?

PCS members have been getting involved in spreading the union message to school and college students to ensure they know what unions do, how they can help them, and why they should join from day one when they get a job.

Joanne Bray, an administrative assistant with Revenue and Customs in Leeds and PCS branch organiser and learning officer for the HMRC National Intelligence and Investigations branch, has been working with colleagues to get trade unionism into classrooms in Yorkshire and Humberside. “We’ve put on courses as part of the government’s citizenship studies programme, with the help of the TUC in the region In the last 18 months PCS reps have helped run 15 to 20 sessions, she reports.

“It was mainly young members who went into schools, but we now have about 15 reps involved, including union learning and other reps.

“We promote the benefits of trade unionism, and what we do. It’s not so much a recruitment tool as giving them a basic understanding of unions,” says Joanne. Sessions are normally an hour, and tend to be for 15- to 16- or 17- to 18-year-olds. “We give them a quiz about what things used to be like at work, and also cover equality issues.”

The kids are “brilliant”, she says, and the union has been getting good feedback from schools. Another bonus is that some of the reps involved are now getting more involved in the union themselves Such programmes are, however, arranged informally, usually where reps have links with school governors or parents, Joanne explains.

There are moves – supported by PCS nationally – to get trade union studies included in citizenship classes on the national curriculum. That would bring an understanding of trade unions into the mainstream of school studies. As we went to press, we were preparing to meet with other unions to develop this idea.

We are very keen to build this campaign. It could help to spread the union message to the next generation.  Young members’ organiser Tracy Edwards says

Mark Chisman, chair of the PCS national young members’ network, says that he has spoken to 15-year-olds in a school and confirms they “knew very, very little about unions – nothing apart from strikes. We tried to explain collective bargaining and about getting better terms and conditions. The teachers were very supportive, and told the students that they had got better pay and conditions by being in a union.”

Work experience=union experience

Another way that PCS can reach out to school students is through the work experience programme, which all 15-year-olds now undertake for two weeks. Gaynor Barradell, full-time PCS organiser for the Coventry Land Registry branch and the Land Registry group, explains how the union has been using work experience to familiarise young people with unions.

“Part of their work experience programme at the Land Registry is to shadow a trade union rep or have a presentation from one. And last year we negotiated the inclusion of a union induction in their official induction.” Gaynor says that the issues that really get to work experience students are: “being treated fairly and with respect, not being dumped on because they’re young, and getting the same pay for the same job. They are also surprised that they can get into trouble at work in the civil service for what they do outside.”

While fewer work experience students are now coming through the Land Registry, Gaynor managed to persuade one of her husband’s 15-year-old work experience students to address a PCS regional organising conference in Birmingham in September.

Grace Reeve’s speech (see excerpts in box opposite) electrified the delegates, and gave them pause for thought about the need to reach young people.

Grace was followed by general secretary Mark Serwotka, who was “well impressed”, says Gaynor.

Grace’s speech, “demonstrated that we don’t get into schools enough,” says Katherine Earp, a young members’ activist who works at Natural England. “Young members are keen to do so – it’s finding the time that’s a problem. We are keen to change teenagers’ perception of unionists as 40- something males.”

PCS Birmingham regional organiser Kathy Prendiville is now working on developing a model agreement for work experience students to shadow trade unionists, as at the Land Registry.

“Every single young person in school does work experience. If this idea works, we could put it to the TUC to be taken up by other unions. “It could be a great step forward in improving teenagers’ knowledge of the work we do and encouraging them to get involved with a trade union when they start work .”

Amazing Grace

“When I was posed with the question ‘what do school children think that trade unions are?’ I answered that most of them don’t have the foggiest idea what they are, simply because we aren’t taught about them in school.

… hardly any of my school colleagues will have a view on whether trade unions are good or bad, simply because they either haven ’t heard of them or, like me, have heard of them but don’t know what it is that they actually do.
After finding out what an important role they play, I think that trade unions are invaluable. If you are a member of one, they will always be there to offer help and support if you have any worries or complaints about the way that you are being treated at work.

… if you as trade union members somehow manage to get some information into schools about the importance of trade unions, then there will be people who will take the information in and pursue it in adult life.

I had no real idea what trade unions were, but I now know what an important part of working life they are. I only hope that more people my age find out about the unions so that they too can be supported in the same way that so many people are today.”

Grace Reeve, 15, speaking at the PCS regional organising conference in Birmingham on 16 September
 

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