Youth Fight for Jobs protests over zero hour contracts
In Scotland, Youth Fight for Jobs supporters organised a protest outside Sports Direct on Argyle Street in Glasgow on Saturday. Matt Dobson said from the protest, “we got a fantastic response from shoppers and staff who came out to sign our petition against zero-hour contracts. Many young workers passing by from other shops also took our leaflets to hand out to their workmates. Sports Direct managers put plenty of security on the store entrance after they heard Youth Fight for Jobs in London had entered the store and refused to let us speak to staff. Retail workers of all ages were interested in joining a trade union and we gave out USDAW and Unite trade union material. We will be following this up with action in Dundee on August 10th and Paisley and Edinburgh later in the month.”
Ian Pattison, Youth Fight for Jobs spokesperson, said, “50 Youth Fight for Jobs and ‘Are you Sick of your Boss?’ supporters and others protested outside Sports Direct’s Oxford Street store in London to demand Mike Ashley and other bosses stop using the disgusting practice of zero-hour contracts. Boots have told staff employed on zero-hour contracts with no guaranteed hours that they may have to work abroad.”
“After we entered the Sports Direct store, police and security guards blocked our way, to prevent us speaking to staff about their difficult working conditions. Youth Fight for Jobs will continue our protests against zero-hour contracts, and on Friday we’ll take our protests directly to Mike Ashley and Sports Direct HQ”.
See Helen Pattison’s interview with
Channel 5 News. Zero-hour protests have also received coverage from Channel 4 News and the Guardian
Protest outside zero-hour contract Sports Direct
1:30pm Overgate Shopping Centre
Saturday 10th August
Dundee
For more info or details of other protests contact Matt on 07927342060
We say
• Give us proper contracts, guaranteed hours and full employment rights
• Decent tea and lunch breaks
• Pay us a living wage
• Stop the bosses ‘fire at will’ attitude
• We won’t be used as cheap or free labour
• We have the right to get organised at work and the right to join a trade union
Youth Fight for Jobs was set up in 2009 to raise the blight of mass youth unemployment. We organised the 330-mile Jarrow March for Jobs and helped organise protests against Workfare in 2012. We have just launched the ‘Are you Sick of your Boss?’ campaign tackling under-unemployment. We are backed nationally by Unite, PCS, RMT, CWU, UCU, and TSSA trade unions.
