Young Workers and Students – Join the Socialists

Cara young supermarket worker Young Socialists, West of Scotland

As a young supermarket worker I feel that I am constantly living to work instead of working to live. I am currently on a part time contract however they are always looking for more workers but wouldn’t consider giving me a full-time position. This means I am always having to take on other shifts but if they aren’t available my wage isn’t always enough at the end of the week. I sometimes have to borrow money, and I can see how easily it would be fall into debt. It’s a strenuous, hard job and the wages should be higher to reflect that. I worry about my future and how I’ll ever have enough money to move out gain my independence. Socialists fight for a living wage, council house building and for public ownership of supermarkets – join us!  

Daniel Lauchlan University of the West of Scotland Socialist Students

Being a student in Scotland today is characterised by a growing prevalence of poverty caused by capitalist inequality. The cost of everything tuition, rent, food, books has significantly increased, placing a heavy financial burden on students, while the amount provided by maintenance loans is insufficient to support basic living expenses. This financial strain compels many like me to try and balance part-time employment with their academic pursuits, frequently resulting in exhaustion and a rise of mental health issues.

Universities have been transformed into profit-driven organisations due to commercialisation of education, placing financial gain above the welfare and learning of students. The prioritisation of marketable skills and employability completely diminishes the inherent worth of learning and critical thinking, forcing students to view education as a pathway to obtaining unstable employment in a progressively unpredictable labour market. But the capitalist model has failed in higher education. Several universities face closure or massive cuts. Government funding from Westminster and Holyrood has been cut and the market isn’t lucrative for all universities to survive.  For these reasons and many more, it is imperative that we organise, resist and take collective action. Education is ought to be publicly fully funded and owned, free and readily available to everyone, irrespective of their circumstances.

By fighting for Socialism, organising together, we can demolish this profit based system and build a society  where education prioritises the needs of the majority rather than the demands of the minority who have rigged the economy.

Come to our meetings

Thursday 12th September

Paisley 6pm, The Bull Inn, New Street PA1 1XU

Tuesday 17th September

Glasgow 7pm Strathclyde Students Union G1 1XU

Wednesday 18th September

Aberdeen 7pm Ye Olde Frigate Bar AB10 1AU

Edinburgh 6pm The Outhouse EH1 3LY

Thursday 19th September

Dundee 7pm Dundee Voluntary Action DD1 1LL