Paul Callanan, Youth Fight for Jobs national organiser
Figures from the Association of Graduate Recruiters show there are 83 applicants for every graduate position, twice the figure in 2009. With around 2.5 million unemployed and rising chasing half a million job vacancies there is a serious jobs crisis in Britain.
In a recent speech in Spain Iain Duncan Smith (IDS), minister for work and pensions, spoke of his beloved welfare ‘reforms’ ie slashing benefits and implementing slave labour schemes.
These policies offer no solution to the crisis, only misery for millions.
In an attempt to deflect growing anger away from him and his Con-Dem government IDS suggested that high levels of immigration were hampering attempts by the government to tackle levels of long-term joblessness.
He argued that big businesses would have to “play their part” by employing school leavers born in Britain instead of so-called ‘cheap immigrant labour’.
In response to IDS, David Frost, the director general of the bosses’ organisation, the British Chambers of Commerce, claimed that: “employers should choose the best person… The challenge is to ensure that more young Britons are in a position to be the candidate.”
How exactly is this going to happen when this government is turning the clock back to the 19th century?
A good quality education is becoming a privilege only to be enjoyed by the sons and daughters of the very wealthiest in society.
There is no need for young people to be left to rot on the dole or for migrants to be excluded. According to the BBC IDS said a “realistic promise” of work formed part of the government’s “contract” with the British people.
But the pro-big business Con-Dems have no plans to provide decent work on decent pay for all. On the contrary, for most young people they only offer unemployment, slave labour ‘work for your dole’ schemes or, at best, insecure, low-paid work.
Youth Fight for Jobs demands a programme of government investment in socially useful jobs.
This would mean, for example, a massive public programme of house building, renovation and infrastructure projects, with no place for private companies who will put profit first.
Our demands include:
- The right to a decent job for all. We won’t pay for the bosses’ crisis!
- No to job losses. Open the account books to let workers see where the profits have gone.
- Bail out workers not bosses. Nationalise big industries threatening closure or large-scale job losses.
- For fighting trade unions, involving young workers, migrant workers and the unemployed.
- For training linked to decent jobs.
- The right to a decent education and/or training for all.
- For decent working conditions. No to bullying.
- For a living minimum wage of at least £8 an hour for all.
- Share out the work. For a 35 hour working week with no loss of pay.
If you want to get involved in the fightback then you should join the Youth Fight for Jobs Jarrow march. In 1936 200 unemployed workers marched from Jarrow in the north east of England to London in protest at high unemployment and atrocious living standards.
Youth Fight for Jobs will be marking the 75th anniversary of the original march by doing it again. Join us on the march to tell this government; we won’t be a lost generation, we will fight for jobs and education!
