United services credit union

Bringing trade unionism to the young involves addressing the changing nature of work.

More than a quarter of children in work are too tired to do their schoolwork because of their jobs, according to Class Struggles, a report published by the TUC earlier this year. Based on a MORI survey, the report showed that as many as one in ten children with a job admitted to missing school in order to do paid work. It also revealed terrible instances of low pay, with a third of schoolchildren earning no more than [pound]2.50 an hour. Most worrying, however, was the damaging effect that working excessive hours had on the performance of children in school.

And the situation is little better for students who continue into further and higher education. The additional strain of growing student debt combined with the introduction of tuition fees means that as many as a million students are employed over the course of a year. Many work in poor conditions -- for example, in bars, fast-food restaurants or the rough end of retail -- where they desperately need a union. Given the low level of union recognition in these areas of work, students have little protection from unscrupulous employers.

The many examples of how working schoolchildren and students are poorly treated illustrate the need for trade unions to engage with young people as soon as they come into contact with any form of employment. The TUC has already begun to develop ways to make the union movement appeal to younger workers. Since its launch, the TUC Organising Academy has trained more than 100, mainly young, organisers. Part of their training involves organising new groups of workers in "greenfield" sites, the sorts of workplaces with higher concentrations of young workers.

However, as Class Struggles showed, schoolchildren also need to be aware of their rights at work, and of the role played by trade unions. The national curriculum's new emphasis on citizenship studies, which covers rights and responsibilities at work, provides an important channel to take such issues to both schoolchildren and post-16 students who, in the past, would have had little understanding of the value of trade unionism.

In order to develop this opportunity, the TUC has agreed to be a partner in a consortium led by the London Central Learning and Skills Council. This is one of several projects that will be managed on a national level over the next two years to examine ways to develop the citizenship skills of 16-to 19-year-olds, with the involvement of schools, colleges, employers, voluntary organisations and, crucially, trade unions.

But promoting employment rights among school pupils is only one aspect of the TUC's work with young people. Working with the National Union of Students and the National Association of Student Employment Staff, the TUC is developing guidance material that can be distributed through colleges and universities so that students are aware of their rights and of the benefits of trade union membership.

Union initiatives aimed at students and schoolchildren are certainly valuable. Outside the education system, the most important element of organising younger workers will involve addressing the changing nature of work. For example, workers in traditional industries such as manufacturing or shipbuilding can see how the union presence directly affects the way they perform their duties, as well as their pay. The growing number of young people employed in new sectors of the economy may not see how frustration with management can be addressed through collective action. Many of these workers will be employed in smaller firms operating within the context of increasing globalisation. If they had a problem in the workplace, they would probably consider the most obvious solution to be to move job, rather than to seek the support of a union -- and that is why it is vital that people are made aware of trade unionism while they are still at school or college.

This also means that future union campaigns will need to address globalisation and social justice in order to relate to young people. Crucially, we need an approach that puts organised labour at the heart of any strategy to take on globalisation. A major aim of the trade union movement is to inject a social dimension into the globalisation process: the challenge in attracting more young people is to link union organisation in the developed world with raising labour standards in the developing world. In an economy where large multinationals can relocate not just their production, but their marketing, accounting and even design functions, a strong union movement in only one part of the world is not enough. And young people, more than any other group, are all too aware of this. They understand that the world is moving closer together, which makes them sceptical of claims that it is possible to improve employment conditions in one country without addressing labour standards across the world.

With its work in schools and on student campuses, the TUC is trying to educate a new generation about the role and value of trade unionism - not just about how unions can help them and their fellow employees, but about how unions can be a force for improving conditions across the world. The challenge for young people is to join us in that goal.

Raj Jethwa is TUC organising officer

Union bosses on the second term

Bill Speirs STUC general secretary

With elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly in just over 18 months, speedy action is needed at the UK level if Labour MSPs are not to suffer collateral damage. That action should include investing in public services and public servants; ending the infatuation with privatisation; quickly and enthusiastically delivering on workers' rights to information and consultation; a strategy for manufacturing; a minimum wage of at least [pound]5 an hour without age exemption; and clear, unequivocal opposition to Dubbya's Star Wars lunacy.

Bill Morris TGWU general secretary

We want to work in partnership with the government to conclude some important items of unfinished business. This means full information and employment rights; an obligation on employers, regardless of size, to put in place International Labour Organisation minimum labour standards; and employment rights from day one. During Labour's historic second term, we wish to see the renaissance of a public services ethos. Reform must be based on the principle of social need, not private greed.

Dr Beverly Malone RCN general secretary

The NHS will continue to dominate the agenda in this government's second term. The main themes will be expectations, delivery and clarity. Modernisation plans have raised expectations, but patients and nurses need to see concrete evidence that improvements are happening. The public sector and those who work in it are a tremendous resource -- the government needs to value them accordingly. The RCN looks forward to working with fellow unions on behalf of nurses and patients.

Sir Ken Jackson AEEU general secretary

The main challenge in the second term is to raise productivity and competitiveness across UK industry. Labour has made a good start, with a series of important initiatives. But we must build on these with more investment, expanded training and skills development. If we do, then AEEU members will enjoy greater employment security. If we don't, then manufacturing will continue to shrink. I know the government and the AEEU are ready to meet the challenge. I want industry to join us.

Barry Reamsbottom PCS general secretary

I welcome Tony Blair's commitment in his speech at Royal Free Hospital that he has no intention to privatise vast swathes of the public sector. PCS members working in the civil service and related areas have already proved they can deliver programmes for the government, including the New Deal, the working families tax credit and the minimum wage. All we ask is the chance to prove we can still deliver -- while remaining in the public sector.

Natfhe Youth Initiatives

The university and college lecturers' union is developing a positive approach to recruiting young lecturers. It is highlighting employment and professional issues that affect younger members of staff in particular, and encourages its branches to monitor their age profile. It is:

* making a concerted effort to recruit part-time lecturers, many of whom are of younger staff;

* offering special membership rates for lower-paid staff;

* planning a Postgraduate Charter for those postgraduates moving into teaching;

* piloting a newsletter for young members;

* asking branches to set up "Introducing Natfhe" sessions for potential young members during inductions for new staff.

GPMU Youth Initiatives

The Graphical, Paper and Media Union has adopted various strategies in its attempt to target younger workers, including: