Young members gather at conference in Newcastle

Young members from across the UK gathered in Newcastle over the weekend for the third annual UNISON young members’ conference.

The conference was the first to take place after the age-limit for young members was increased to 30 and under (from 26) via a rule amendment at this year’s national delegate conference.

At the time, UNISON’s young members officer Josephine Grahl said: “The increase in age reflects the changes in the workforce that have happened since UNISON’s first young members’ groups were established in 1996″.

And she added that these included: “The increase in school leaving age, the expansion of participation in higher and further education, and the fact that the public sector workforce tends, these days, to be older than the average”.

The change reflects the fact that, on average, young people are achieving milestones in their lives later than in previous generations.

A 2019 Office of National Statistics report: Journeying into adulthood highlighted a number of examples.

  • In 1998, on average, people left full-time education at 17.8 years old – in 2018 this was 19.3.
  • In 1997 it was not until the age of 26 that 50% of people lived in a home they own – in 2017, this was 34.
  • In 1997 the average age of a first-time mother was 27 – in 2016 this was 29. (The average age of a first-time father is not easily calculated).

The last of these examples highlights an issue that took centre stage at last weekend’s conference.

A motion on maternity pay noted that: “A survey conducted this year by Censuswide found that young people were considering delaying or deciding not to have children. More than half cited financial reasons as the number one reason for this”.

It went on to argue that: “With the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing inflation, it is clear to see that the current maternity pay provision does not sufficiently cover everyday costs.” It also noted the toll this can have on the financial independence of women, leading to an outdated, male-centric ‘breadwinner’ concept re-emerging in dual-income households.

It called for the national young members’ forum to prioritise a campaign to raise awareness and provide young member officers with resources to better campaign, locally, on the issue.

Speaking at the conference, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea also highlighted how the world of work has changed since she left school. She said: “I remember entering the world of work for the first time. It was exciting and scary.

“And work now can still be exciting and scary. But when I started work, the prospect of owning a house was only a few years away, the retirement age was younger, childcare costs weren’t through the roof, and I wasn’t saddled with thousands of pounds in student loan debt.

“We didn’t have the stresses of 24-hour news – the constant barrage of information from Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. And we hadn’t just spent the best part of two years in a pandemic and a lockdown.

“So, without doubt, being young today is so much harder. And I say that as the mother of two young people. But I am constantly in awe of the resilience, creativity, and dynamism of young workers today.

“UNISON believes in you. Believe in yourself and keep fighting for our members.”

The article Young members gather at conference in Newcastle first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Young members gather at conference in Newcastle

Young members from across the UK gathered in Newcastle over the weekend for the third annual UNISON young members’ conference.

The conference was the first to take place after the age-limit for young members was increased to 30 and under (from 26) via a rule amendment at this year’s national delegate conference.

At the time, UNISON’s young members officer Josephine Grahl said: “The increase in age reflects the changes in the workforce that have happened since UNISON’s first young members’ groups were established in 1996″.

And she added that these included: “The increase in school leaving age, the expansion of participation in higher and further education, and the fact that the public sector workforce tends, these days, to be older than the average”.

The change reflects the fact that, on average, young people are achieving milestones in their lives later than in previous generations.

A 2019 Office of National Statistics report: Journeying into adulthood highlighted a number of examples.

  • In 1998, on average, people left full-time education at 17.8 years old – in 2018 this was 19.3.
  • In 1997 it was not until the age of 26 that 50% of people lived in a home they own – in 2017, this was 34.
  • In 1997 the average age of a first-time mother was 27 – in 2016 this was 29. (The average age of a first-time father is not easily calculated).

The last of these examples highlights an issue that took centre stage at last weekend’s conference.

A motion on maternity pay noted that: “A survey conducted this year by Censuswide found that young people were considering delaying or deciding not to have children. More than half cited financial reasons as the number one reason for this”.

It went on to argue that: “With the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing inflation, it is clear to see that the current maternity pay provision does not sufficiently cover everyday costs.” It also noted the toll this can have on the financial independence of women, leading to an outdated, male-centric ‘breadwinner’ concept re-emerging in dual-income households.

It called for the national young members’ forum to prioritise a campaign to raise awareness and provide young member officers with resources to better campaign, locally, on the issue.

Speaking at the conference, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea also highlighted how the world of work has changed since she left school. She said: “I remember entering the world of work for the first time. It was exciting and scary.

“And work now can still be exciting and scary. But when I started work, the prospect of owning a house was only a few years away, the retirement age was younger, childcare costs weren’t through the roof, and I wasn’t saddled with thousands of pounds in student loan debt.

“We didn’t have the stresses of 24-hour news – the constant barrage of information from Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. And we hadn’t just spent the best part of two years in a pandemic and a lockdown.

“So, without doubt, being young today is so much harder. And I say that as the mother of two young people. But I am constantly in awe of the resilience, creativity, and dynamism of young workers today.

“UNISON believes in you. Believe in yourself and keep fighting for our members.”

The article Young members gather at conference in Newcastle first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Young campaigners: Eric Roberts Awards 2023

Nominations are now open for the UNISON Eric Roberts Award 2023, named after our former president. It celebrates effective and innovative campaigning by young members – whether on workplace issues or wider political campaigns.

The national young members’ forum will decide the winner,  who will be presented with the award at NDC 2024.

Branch secretaries and regional young members contacts can make submissions – so don’t delay and nominate your brilliant young activists today.

Nominations must be returned by 10 November 2023.

Download the nomination form (word)

 

The article Young campaigners: Eric Roberts Awards 2023 first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Young campaigners: Eric Roberts Awards 2023

Nominations are now open for the UNISON Eric Roberts Award 2023, named after our former president. It celebrates effective and innovative campaigning by young members – whether on workplace issues or wider political campaigns.

The national young members’ forum will decide the winner,  who will be presented with the award at NDC 2024.

Branch secretaries and regional young members contacts can make submissions – so don’t delay and nominate your brilliant young activists today.

Nominations must be returned by 10 November 2023.

Download the nomination form (word)

 

The article Young campaigners: Eric Roberts Awards 2023 first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON raises the age limit for its young members

UNISON’s national delegate conference last week approved a rule change that has an immediate impact on the union’s young members.

Delegates agreed to raise the ceiling age for young member status from 26 to 30. This increases the time in which activists can work in a young member capacity and, consequently, the age of those taking the two young members’ seats on the national executive council.

It’s estimated that the move will roughly double the number of the union’s young members.

Josephine Grahl, UNISON’s national officer for young members, commented today: “We hope this change will strengthen UNISON’s young member structures, giving young workers a longer period to join and become active in UNISON young members’ groups, and giving us time to develop young activists who will go on to play a lifelong role in the union.

“This motion came from UNISON’s young members’ conference in December 2022, where it was very strongly supported, and our survey of UNISON members showed that a large majority of members of all ages felt that increasing the age was the right thing to do.”

Ms Grahl added: “The increase in age reflects the changes in the workforce that have happened since UNISON’s first young members’ groups were established in 1996: the increase in school leaving age, the expansion of participation in higher and further education, and the fact that the public sector workforce tends, these days, to be older than the average.

“But it doesn’t stop here. We hope every branch and region will use this opportunity to step up organising with young workers – and make our young members’ groups better than ever before.”

 

The article UNISON raises the age limit for its young members first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Heartbreaking stories of workplace harassment heard at NDC

Chaired by UNISON vice-president Amerit Rait, the second day of the union’s national delegate conference passed a motion on tackling harassment at work.

Introducing the motion, the chair of the Welsh regional young members forum Ryan Hopkins said that harassment is one of the key issues raised by young members in the union.

Mr Hopkins drew the links between government cuts to services and increased harassment that workers face from members of the public: “Being justifiably stressed by a lack of services does not justify harassment, and it makes it more difficult for workers to put all of themselves into their job.”

The motion was amended to include a clause specifically on disabled workers. A TUC report found that 68% of disabled women workers had been sexually harassed at work.

Urging the union to pass the motion, Rosie MacGregor from the national retired members committee described the fear of harassment “as equal to the fear of reporting it.”

Another young member who works as a healthcare assistant described how, when she was harassed by a patient, she was told to ‘just get on with it’. 

She said: “I was made to feel uncomfortable all day. That is the case for every female healthcare assistant who has to work with male patients in hospitals. The NHS, like most employers, love to put up posters to say they won’t tolerate abuse or harassment of staff. I wish they would follow those posters.”

Supporting the motion, Alison Lewis from Nottingham County branch shared her experience: “As a social work team manager, there are some people who think it’s part of our role to accept verbal or physical abuse.”

She also highlighted the increased rate of harassment for Black workers: “41% of Black workers are still experiencing racism at work. I’ve experienced racism at work, by a manager, and by a peer, and without the people in this union, I would not be standing here today.”

One union member, who worked in further education, described how she had 72 safeguarding referrals within six months. 

The motion calls on the union to:

  • promote existing model policies and other relevant materials around harassment, abuse, violence and safeguarding at work across the service group;
  • work with relevant sections of the union to develop model policies where relevant ones do not currently exist;
  • provide information to UNISON branches on negotiating adequate safety measures for lone workers, commuters and those working unsociable hours; and
  • promote awareness and understanding across UNISON of issues around harassment, abuse and violence, with a particular focus on combatting sexual harassment, racism and workplace disability discrimination.

The conference session also passed a motion to make 2024 the year of LGBT+ worker, with special mention of the importance of standing up for trans people, particularly young trans people. 

The article Heartbreaking stories of workplace harassment heard at NDC first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Colombian trade unionist addresses young members

On Saturday afternoon at young members’ conference in Bournemouth, Daniella Vega Sotelo, a member of the peasant farmer’s union FENSUAGRO, spoke to delegates via video link from Colombia.

She spoke of the dangers, the progress and the hopes of being a trade unionist in that country.

“This is a very important time nationally in the history of Colombia. We have recently elected a new government which received the backing of the trade union movement.

“On issues such as agrarian reform, we feel for the first time that we have a government that supports our issues as trade unionists and peasant farmers.”

She added that they think that, under this government, they might finally make some progress in addressing human rights issues in the country.

Ms Sotelo went on to speak of the experiences of trade unionists in the country over the past decades. “For the trade union movement in Colombia, we’ve gone through a very long period where trade unionists were stigmatised, persecuted and subjected to violence.

“There have been human rights violations against trade unionists for many years and we continue to face a very high level of human rights abuses today. From 2016 until today, FENSUAGRO has documented 96 cases of human rights abuses against our members.

“Violence has been a constant reality for people in Colombia since 1930, which has led to a mass migration of young people from the country to the cities which is one of the main issues we face today.”

She was speaking via an online call from a national peasant farmer convention in Colombia where she said FENSUAGRO was “collaborating with the government on its national plan of development, which will provide a blueprint for the next four years in its development of rural areas.

“One of the most important demands for our movement is implementation of the 2016 peace agreement Another demand is to reach new agreements with the many active armed groups still within Colombia to help with the violence in Colombia.”

Moving on, she spoke of the importance of international support for FENSUAGRO and other unions in Colombia, saying: “International support and lobbying of all sides in those agreements is critical. We have worked closely with and receive support from lots of international political organisation.

“It is really important to have these strategic allies such as UNISON, who we give thanks to, and Justice for Colombia who are very important for us.

“On behalf of FENSUAGRO and particularly our young members, I would like to express our solidarity and thank you for your support and ask that it continues and that you give your support with joy and enthusiasm.

“Your support and solidarity is of course vital to us, and I just want to say to you as trade unionists, you can count on our solidarity, we see you as a strategic ally. And as we know it’s so important that, internationally, we support each other.”

She then answered questions from delegates.

Solidarity with Cuba

On the theme of international solidarity, delegates also debated a motion calling on the national young members’ forum to encourage branches to affiliate to Cuba Solidarity and to lobby regional international committees to send delegates on the Young Trade Unionists May Day Brigade to Cuba.

Micaela Tracey-Ramos, from the North West region, spoke about her personal experiences of attending the march, calling it a “life changing experience for me”.

The motion highlighted that the US has imposed an economic blockade on Cuba since 1962, six decades, and has had many negative and inhumane effects on the country, particularly during the COVID pandemic, when the country struggled to access the right equipment to treat its patients.

She continued: “While I was there, I was lucky enough to attend May Day in Havana. We saw one million people march in Havana at the first May Day since the pandemic, with over five million people marching across Cuba – a huge proportion of the country when compared against UK rallies and marches”.

Before the motion carried, she emphasised that the march wasn’t a protest, but a celebration of workers and encouraged regions to send delegates from across the country rather than a select few regions who currently send delegates.

The article Colombian trade unionist addresses young members first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Young members’ conference opens with debates about cost of living

UNISON’s second annual young members’ conference opened this morning in Bournemouth with a speech from assistant general secretary, Jon Richards.

Welcoming delegates, he began by talking about the political state of the country, highlighting the importance of young people getting involved in democracy early on in their lives and noting that: “Since the Second World War, 13 out of 17 prime ministers of the UK went to Oxford.”

To that he added: “Five out of the last five Tory prime ministers went there.

“These people do not understand what it’s like to be poor, what it’s like to scrape by. None of them know what it’s like to go to a foodbank – apart from on a visit to show how good they are before Christmas.

“Many of our members do know.”

Moving onto the cost of living crisis, Mr Richards said: “Young members face particular challenges” with issues such as rent increases and the precarious nature of work disproportionately affecting them.

Speaking of UNISON’s work in that area, he highlighted the union’s cost of living Together we Rise campaign, adding: “UNISON has written to every non-Labour MP on mileage and petrol costs”. Mr Richards noted that the union had also been involved in a number of parliamentary debates, notably with Dan Jarvis MP, in which many contributors spoke from UNISON briefings.

He continued: “We launched a report earlier in the year, which identified where £30bn could be found by taxing wealth”, before going on to highlight the further steps which the campaign has taken, such as launching a microsite which hosts a cost of living calculator and dispute map and which tied into a massive advertising campaign UNISON ran just before Liz Truss’ ‘mini-budget’.

“Trussonomics cost us £60bn – that budget cost us £60bn,” he said.

Moving on to link the cost of living to the various strikes which are taking place across the unions different sectors, Mr Richards noted: “We’re currently taking action in universities. We’re about to start industrial action in the environment agency, who were offered a 2% pay rise, which equatesa 10% pay cut in this year alone.

“And also in the NHS, where 80,000 workers recently voted to take strike action,” emphasising: “we are not taking strike action because we want to, but because we must.”

He continued on the NHS ballot, speaking of the success the union has had in rolling out new technologies in phone-banking and peer-to-peer texting and its impact on turnout rates.

He closed out his speech on a positive note praising the work of young members in recruitment, where the number of joiners who are young members has increased from 10% to 20% over the course of the year, something he called a “testament to the work young members’ reps are doing.”

Motions begin

After the speech, conference began an enthusiastic and varied morning of debate with a motion asserting that affordable housing is a human right.

The motion called on the young members’ forum to work with the UNISON national Labour Link forum to make sure that the issue is raised within the Labour Party and to regularly highlight the union’s campaign to ensure there is increased availability of affordable housing.

Jasper from the Eastern region moved a motion that stated: “Many delegates within this hall will be experiencing the effects of the housing crisis first hand,” adding that, with skyrocketing prices and the cost of living crisis, “is it any wonder one in four people our age are still living with their parents?”

He continued: “The housing crisis is not a disaster we’ve caused. In 2014, the Tories announced they would build 200k starter homes. By 2019 they had built none. Instead, they lean on private landlords and resurrect Thatcherite schemes like the right to buy scheme,” and he argued that a privatised system of housing leads to houses being built by the lowest bidder and causes the poorest among us to live in the most poorly built houses.

Eleesha, who was also from Eastern region, continued the debate, asking: “What happens if you don’t have a guarantor for a house – if you don’t have this, trying to move house in the private sector is a nightmare.”

Before the motion was carried, delegates went on to highlight:

• the issues that young people face in renting if they don’t have a guarantor;

• that the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on disabled people is partly due to the disproportionate number of disabled people living in overcrowded housing; and

• the importance of linking up with other organisations outside of trade unionism who deal with this issue.

 

The article Young members’ conference opens with debates about cost of living first appeared on the UNISON National site.