Youth Fight for Jobs

Campaign updates

Birmingham

Members of the Socialist Party's Birmingham branch have taken on the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign with gusto in recent weeks. The branch was recently able to set up a youth team which, with the help of the rest of the branch, has focused on this crucial campaign.

We have been holding stalls on the issue at different times on Saturday and midweek in the city centre and in suburbs. These stalls have proven popular, with many people eager to find out more and get involved in the campaign.

We have handed out leaflets to young workers in shops and outside temping agencies and job centres. The consequences of the campaign have already borne fruit. A young worker who contacted us via the internet immediately took on an active role in Youth Fight for Jobs. Unfortunately he then had to move away from Birmingham after being made redundant himself.

We will be stepping up our campaigning over the next few weeks by holding activities, including stunts (the branch has just purchased a megaphone to aid this!) in areas where young people spend time. We are going to put up posters and hand out leaflets at the three universities in Birmingham and in schools and colleges.

We have been contacted by a local community radio station that wants to interview us about the campaign. We're in the process of contacting other local media. We will ask trade union branches for support, as well as setting up a Facebook page.

We have also gathered materials to design a banner to take on the Youth Fight for Jobs demonstration at the G20 on Thursday 2 April. But our top priority is to mobilise as many people from Birmingham as possible to fill the minibus we are taking to the protest.

Stephen Burrell

Bristol

Economic recession is beginning to affect job prospects in Bristol. A fightback to defend jobs and living conditions has begun, including the Youth Fight for Jobs (YFfJ) campaign. Everyone should have the right to a decent job. This is possible by sharing out the work without loss of pay and by investment in useful public works, like building council houses, as a start.

YFfJ in Bristol has elected a steering committee which plans to get the campaign into full swing before the 2 April march for jobs. We have been petitioning and selling The Socialist at least twice a week in the town centre and at local colleges and universities. We also plan to leaflet a local job centre.

We have written to a number of trade union branches and received a very positive response. Two campaigners spoke at an NUT branch meeting and the trade union branch agreed to sponsor the march and offered a speaker at our public meeting.

We intend to submit petitions to the council and write to the media. We have contacted local community groups and student unions.

Some of the people we meet want to come on the march and are very enthusiastic. We've set up an email list to keep in touch with them. However, for others the task of defending jobs seems too big. This will change as the fightback grows and people see it is possible and necessary. The stronger we build our campaign now the more effective we can be as the recession bites harder.

Tom Baldwin

Support for campaign grows

Both the national steering committee of Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement and Tommy Sheridan in a personal capacity agreed to support the march for jobs and the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign.

Youth Fight for Jobs

Campaign updates

Birmingham

Stephen Burrell

Bristol

Tom Baldwin

Support for campaign grows

Upcoming events

Dundee

Sat 7 March

Youth Fight for Jobs protest outside the scottish Labour Party conference

Ring 07912 259796

East London

12 March 7.30pm

Durning Hall

Earlham Grove

Forst gate, London E7

Birmingham

19 March, 7:30pm

Come to the launch of the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign in Birmingham

Conference Room of the Wetherlodge Hotel

25 Bennetts Hill (off New Street, Birmingham City Centre, B2 5RE

More info contact Steve 07964168398

yfj-brum@hotmail.com

Basildon

Mon 23rd March 8pm

Save our jobs meeting

Pitsea Leisure Centre, Room 2

Northlands Pavement, Pitsea

Basildon SS13 3DU