UNISON young members conference took place last weekend, capping off TUC’s Young Workers Month in November.
Young members (aged 30 and below) from across the UK gathered in Swansea to discuss a range of issues. These included engaging apprentices in the union, to educating and retaining young activists, to celebrating the union’s Year of LGBT+ workers.
UNISON president Steve North (pictured below) opened the conference, telling delegates: “You don’t need me to tell you not to limit yourself to young members activities.
“It’s very clear that young members want their voices to be heard throughout the union. And the demands and the politics I’ve heard over the last day are really inspiring.”
The keynote speaker, Becky Gittins MP, spoke of her experience as a young trade union negotiator at PCS (Public and Commercial Services union) before becoming a Labour MP this year.
She said: “When young people get involved in their trade union and in politics, change happens. I was one of around 15 under-30s Labour MPs elected, and this new intake of Labour MPs is full of trade union activists, trade union negotiators, and trade union lawyers.”
Speaking of the importance of the government’s Employment Rights Bill, she also noted that, in particular, young workers will feel the benefit through measures such as increasing the 18-21 minimum wage and the restrictions on zero-hours contracts.
Jon Richards, UNISON assistant general secretary, echoed this sentiment when he said: “All of you who continue in the trade union movement over the next few years, the Employment Rights Bill will make the biggest difference to you, as a much-needed overhaul of employment and trade union rights.”
Ensuring UNISON’s future
Speaking on a motion ‘educating, training and recruiting young activists to ensure UNISON’s future’, Zaihera Chaudry told conference: “We cannot continue to have these conversations about young members issues if we are not equipping young members with the necessary education and training to tackle these issues themselves.
“Recruitment of young members into our union is not enough. We need to ensure that education and training is accessible to all young members in every branch, in every region, to ensure our union’s future.
“Conference, young members do not want to sit on the sidelines, we want to be active and lead. It is our job to build a union that does not just recruit young members, but also actively supports them, invests in them, and gives them power.”
Moving onto a motion on the ‘engagement, education and retention of apprentices’, speaker Matteo Grattarola said: “We need to be there for apprentices, not only to stop bad behaviour [by employers] but also to help them going forward in their personal and professional lives.
“We need to educate students, employers and branches on how they can help and improve the quality and quantity of apprentices.”
The motion noted that despite there being nearly 140,000 young members in UNISON, only about 1.4% of them are apprentices. It called on the national young members forum to work with various stakeholders through the union to promote and campaign for apprentices, and to focus on their engagement and recruitment.
Delegates take a solidarity photo for a ‘ceasefire now’ in the Middle East conflict
‘We must not become complacent’
Conference then discussed two motions celebrating the Year of LGBT+ Workers, young LGBT+ members and continuing the fight for LGBT+ rights.
Danny Purdie said: “We must not let ourselves become complacent or kid ourselves into thinking the work is done.
“Although we have taken many steps forward, subsequent repressive, hateful governments and the rise of far-right ideology often imported from America remains a threat to the safety, security and lives of our marginalised colleagues, friends and service users.
They continued: “Young members are absolutely crucial in our fight against this ideology. We, the young members, are the present and the future of UNISON and the UK. Without us, trade unions will cease to exist.”
Meanwhile, Fenn Horan said: “This year, UNISON members and branches from all across the country attended Trans+ Pride in London, in a large bloc that was driven by young members. The theme was ‘justice and liberation’, and the huge presence of trade unionists provided a crucial statement of solidarity to the trans community.
“This was a shining example of the presence UNISON branches have had at political, community-driven Pride events all across the country this year.”
She added: “We must also applaud the continued campaign by the LGBT+ committee to engage and organise young members. Their successes were highlighted by the number of young delegates at this year’s LGBT+ conference doubling compared to last year.
“This has been an incredible campaign and is one all structures of the union can learn from.”
The article Young members do not want to sit on the sidelines first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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