Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/663/11507
From The Socialist newspaper, 23 March 2011
Young people and staff protest against Connexions closure
Tom Jousselin, Lewisham Socialist Party
With 36% of 16-24 year olds unemployed, Lewisham, South London, has one of the worst youth unemployment rates in the country. Despite this, New Labour Mayor Steve Bullock has decided to completely withdraw funding for Lewisham Connexions - a service that gives advice on everything from unemployment to housing to people aged between 13 and 19.
On the day that Connexions was scheduled to be shut, 30 service users and staff members protested to show opposition to the council's plan. With slogans calling for the unity of workers and students, it gained a lot of attention from passers-by and gave many young people their first experience of action to fight the cuts.
Miriam Brown, a protester and service user, said that she always found the service very useful and had grown very attached to staff members. Shocked at the removal of this service, Miriam sent an reply directly to the mayor of Lewisham, but received only a very brief reply from his personal assistant, showing the disdain that he has for all of us!
The staff have been treated appallingly. One employee explained that they simply have no idea whether or not they will be made redundant.
Connexions workers have not officially been sacked but are instead in a state of limbo. Employees who have been delivering frontline services for over 20 years and are known by young people across the borough for their work may simply not have a job.
If local councils and the government care about the future of young people at all, these services must be kept open. There is also a pressing need for the trade union movement to help young people, through unemployed centres for example, with advice on jobs and to link it to the trade union movement and the wider fight for decent jobs for all.
But the services by themselves will not solve the problem of youth unemployment. Councils and the government should be funding services to create work and keep people off the dole queue.
The government's token gesture of creating 50,000 apprenticeships is far from what's needed to help the 974,000 unemployed young people across the country.
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In The Socialist 23 March 2011:
PDF of issue
PDF of The Socialist issue 663, 24-30 March 2011
TUC demo
Fight all cuts: for a 24-hour public sector general strike
No education cuts: We can win the battle!
Want to fight the cuts? Join the socialists!
War and occupation
Libya: no to western military intervention
Socialist Party youth and students
Young people and staff protest against Connexions closure
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Government health 'reforms': The Con-Dems' future doesn't work
Little to laugh about in 'Carry On Cuts' budget
Socialist Party workplace news
Rail unions win over anti-strike laws
400 construction workers fight lock-out at BP Saltend, Hull
Stopping the cuts with the NSSN
Wales university lecturers' strike just the beginning
Socialist Party Marxist analysis
What has socialism got to do with fighting the cuts?
International socialist news and analysis
Organise the fightback - from Tahrir Square to Wisconsin
Socialist history
Liverpool city council's historic victory over the Thatcher government
Mass non-payment - how the poll tax was beaten
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
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