Come to the Youth Fight for Jobs Glasgow protest
Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) Scotland will be protesting at Skills Development Scotland, George Square, Glasgow on Saturday 9 October at 1pm
YFJ is demanding a mass job creation programme to solve the climate and unemployment crisis
YFJ is also calling for school and college strikes on November 5th during COP26
Saturday’s protest is at Monteith House, George Square, Glasgow G2 1DY, and is part of 15 protests and marches that day across the UK by YFJ
Oisín Duncan, Glasgow YFJ organiser, said:
“The Youth Fight for Jobs campaign was relaunched to give young people a chance to highlight and fight back against the high unemployment, precarious work and lack of affordable housing we face.
The original campaign, undertaken in 2009, succeeded in pushing devolved governments to retain EMA payments as well as mobilising a layer of young workers in and outside the labour movement.
The situation today for young people is as dire as the height of the credit crunch. It’s not just about jobs and pay; the cost of living increases make it harder for young workers to leave home, forcing many to stay at home with parents and family rather than face homelessness on their own.
Despite Boris Johnson’s clams this week at the Conservative Party conference, wages are not going up and, as gas prices for consumers remain high, young workers continue to bear the brunt of economic hardship brought on by the pandemic.
We are calling on the Tory UK and SNP/Green Scottish governments to invest in a real mass job creation programme with trade union rates of pay and trade union representation (not the ‘workfare’ that the coalition government pushed in 2010).
These jobs could be not only socially useful but could be created in environmentally friendly sectors like renewable energy, in essence calling for the powers that be to deliver on the empty promises they have made ahead of COP26.
In fact, the politicians need to stand up to the big polluters; no more tax breaks for the planet wreckers, we need the whole energy sector to be nationalised, publicly owned and managed by workers so that working class people can make democratic decisions about the transition to zero-carbon.
Young workers do the same work as their older colleagues, and therefore we should get the same pay. YFJ says: abolish youth rates and pay apprentices and workers under-23 a real living wage! We demand a minimum wage increase to £12 an hour as a step toward £15.
The casualised economy hurts young workers particularly. YFJ says: end zero-hour contracts and stop the fire-and-rehire tactic from employers that forces vulnerable workers onto worse pay and conditions.
As well as this, we are demanding a council house building scheme to lift pressure from young people facing extortionate rents, a policy that would help not only young workers but the unemployed and students as well who are currently facing an accommodation crisis.
Scotland needs 120,000 council homes built to meet growing demand and clear waiting lists. These should be built with proper insulation to reduce carbon footprint and energy bills.
Finally, the government must reverse the cut to Universal Credit uplift; the rich are getting richer while the poorest in society see their benefits cut once again. We need a social security system with benefits we can really live on!
Ultimately our campaign demands a proper future for young people, and we want as many youth to be involved as possible! Come and join us in George Square, or contact us to get involved in your area!
For more info
Ring or text Oisín on 07842 656578
Email yffjobs@gmail.com
