I joined the MU because it is the largest organisation representing musicians (over 30,000) in the UK. With this large number comes a community that supports existing and new members with up to date…Read more…
Young worker’s Challenge #3: Lack of training opportunities
This month we’re counting down the ten most significant challenges faced by young workers. If you think about it, you’d expect younger workers to get more training than older workers – after all,…Read more…
Young worker’s Challenge #2: Poor quality jobs
This month we’re counting down the ten most significant challenges faced by young workers. Number two is poor-quality jobs. Ever heard of the shrinking middle? No it’s not the latest weight loss fad,…Read more…
Young worker’s challenge #1: Low pay
This month we’re counting down the ten most significant challenges faced by young workers. We’re kicking off with low pay. It’s no surprise that younger workers are paid less than older…Read more…
For Generation Y, trade unions will need to be a springboard not a safety net
Unions exist to represent everyone at work. But the people who are currently engaging with the union movement are aging and not being replaced by a younger cohort. Just 9.3% of low and middle earning…Read more…
Building a movement of young workers
The buzzword during Congress this year is young workers: where they work, what they need, and how unions can help them. What we do know is that young workers –those aged under 30 and usually outside…Read more…
Will young people swing the vote of the European Referendum?
The debate around mobilising young voters in the EU Referendum was the topic of the live studio debate organised by visual think tank COVi in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) last…Read more…
Vocational education is letting young women down
Vocational education is confused, and does not guarantee routes into good quality employment “The current system for young people who do not follow an academic route is complex and incoherent, with confusing incentives for young people and employers. Careers advice and education are being delivered…Read more…
Don’t tell young people that unemployment, low pay and insecure work are good for them
The way in which young workers (or want-to-be workers) is discussed in the media and public debate is something which frequently grates on me, and I can’t be the only young person who feels like this. The article “jobs for the boys and girls” in this week’s Economist was no…Read more…
Home ownership amongst the young is falling: urgent action needed
Bank Underground (the Bank of England blog, which is well worth subscribing to) today featured a fascinating piece about transactions in the housing market. Whilst the blog is rich in detail, and I would urge anyone interested to take a read, what stru…Read more…
Young members weekend 2016 – just two weeks left to register
Applications for the weekend in Leicester on 13-15 May must be received by 5 April
The article Young members weekend 2016 – just two weeks left to register first appeared on the UNISON site.Read more…
Why we need the right to strike
The government’s Trade Union Bill looks set to undermine the right to strike, and attacks the role trade unions play in day-to-day life. These reforms are spiteful and unnecessary.They are…Read more…
“Do you consider yourself to have a disability?” – a bipolar worker speaks out
“Do you consider yourself to have a disability?”; even if you’re completely open about your mental health disorder, you can’t help but think about it for a moment when you see this question in your…Read more…
Election- what it means to young workers
Last Thursday’s general election saw a Conservative majority government voted into Westminster. After having had the weekend for it all to sink in, it’s time to look at what the election result means…Read more…
What the party manifestos say on young people
Young people are finding it hard to get decent work and paying over 40% of their salary on rent has become the norm. But they’re also the group least likely to vote.Read more…
Young workers speaking up for housing
The UK is caught in a deepening housing crisis, which is particularly hitting younger people. House building is stuck at a historically low level meanwhile the waiting list for social housing has…Read more…
Politics in our lives, not just in Parliament
Funny, isn’t it, how politics is so influential in our day to day lives. Everything from the amount we can expect as a minimum wage to whether we go to war, the decisions made in Parliament…Read more…
#DecentJobsWeek: £6 an hour pay and no security – life in a zero-hours college
When people think about poverty pay and zero-hours contracts, universities and colleges aren’t usually the first workplaces that spring to mind. So it may come as a surprise to learn that 46% of…Read more…
Rejuvenating effects: How CWU made the most of Young Workers’ Month
TUC Young Workers’ Month (November 2014) helped raise the already-high profile of youth activity within the CWU. People all around the union responded actively to the encouragement they were…Read more…