The Socialist 12 September 2012

Build a 24-hour general strike

Build a 24-hour general strike

TUC passes general strike motion

NSSN lobby demands a 24-hour general strike

Teachers must unite against Tories

Nationalise the banks

Cabinet reshuffle

Con-Dem housing measures - in 'the thick of it'?

After the Paralympics... Stop the Con-Dems' assault on disabled

Cable attacks health and safety

'Red tape' bonfire puts workers at more risk

More bad news from media mogul Murdoch

Quebec Solidaire's electoral gains show potential for left

Honduras: Privatised cities in the global economy

We need a political voice to fight austerity

Socialist students: Fighting for education

Bristol YFJ: "We're not lazy - we're fighting back"

Global youth unemployment rises

Youth Fight for Jobs in action! Coming events

Workers' unity against brutal bosses at Cranswick Foods

East Coast train cleaners on strike

RMT assistant secretary arrested on picket line

NHS under attack - Stop the closures, stop the cuts

Bromsgrove meeting opposes A&E closure

Demo against heart unit closure in Leicester

Sheffield Socialist Party pickets strike-breaking facility

Brent Labour: Making families homeless

Young tenants to lobby Leeds council over housing crisis

The Reunion rewrites history: the Poll Tax

The shame of sexism in sport

How we stopped the racist EDL

Previous issues, etc

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Global youth unemployment rises

Lizi Gray, 2011 Jarrow marcher

Since the end of the Youth Fight for Jobs 2011 Jarrow March, youth unemployment figures have continued to rise internationally, currently standing at 13% overall; the highest rate in Europe is Spain at 52%.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that these figures are only set to worsen over the next four years. The longer young people are unemployed, the more difficult it is for them to find work even if the job market improves, says the ILO.

The eurozone crisis has had a knock-on effect on other economies, with youth unemployment figures rising to 26.5% in the Middle East and to 27.9% in North Africa, a rise of 5% since the Arab Spring uprisings.

However, there has been a surge in fighting back by young people globally, from the Spanish Indignados to the Occupy movement beginning in Wall Street.

In the UK, Connexions offices are closing despite young people needing support to find employment. The Con-Dems point the finger of blame at those who can't find work but the figures speak for themselves. Around two thirds of local authorities have more than five claimants chasing every vacancy - going up to over 50!

The ILO has suggested offering tax breaks to businesses as an incentive to employ more young workers.

Socialists demand an immediate 50% levy on the £750 billion held by the major corporations in their bank vaults. This would provide enough money to invest in developing socially-useful industry, but also to massively expand much-needed public services. For example, investing in a huge programme of house-building would provide much-needed homes and jobs.

Youth Fight for Jobs calls for:

A living minimum wage for all - no to low youth rates
No to all cuts - we won't pay for a crisis caused by bankers and big business
Investment in youth services and support for jobseekers
Sharing out the work, without loss of pay, to solve problems of unemployment and long working hours