March for Jobs 2 April
Why I’m marching
I think this campaign is really important. I know how useless you can feel being unemployed, especially for long periods of time. I’ve had my fair share of horrible jobs that I was unable to give up because I needed the money. It’s soul-destroying being trapped in a situation like that, and awful watching friends and family have to go through the same thing – or worse.
We need to let people know that it is not ‘their fault’ that they are unemployed, that they deserve better than poverty pay, bullying bosses and jobs that make them depressed or unwell, that they deserve better than what the current system has to offer and that they can fight for it and they can win it!
Leah Jones, East London
This march and our Youth Fight for Jobs (YFfJ) campaign can provide young people with the necessary focus to fight for a decent future, free from poverty, war and inequality. We have the potential to change an unfair economic system that serves the privileged and a few at the top. That’s why the PCS young members network fully supports this campaign.
Tracy Edwards, PCS young members organiser
As a trade unionist I believe it is important that the labour movement, with its huge potential power, gets behind this important initiative, and like the French workers through general strike action, fights for jobs for our youth.
Len Hockey, Whipps Cross Hospital joint branch secretary Unison (pc)
I am going on the March for Jobs because, like many young people, I am asking what future lies ahead for me. Capitalism offers no future for most young people. We face a huge lack of provisions and facilities, while at the same time being constantly demonised in the media.
Stephen Burrell, Birmingham Socialist Students
I’m marching because the education system has become a profit-making, point-scoring waste of time. After spending vast amounts of money on their degrees people are being encouraged by the government to look for ‘any’ job. This ‘anything’ will most likely be low-paid, unskilled work, as they don’t have relevant experience to get anything else. So they start their working lives with £15,000 plus of debt and no hope of ever paying it off.
Joanna, Cardiff
Young people are always the first to lose their jobs in any situation. Trying to find a job at this time is almost impossible. The bosses know they can pick on the youth because they know that most of us don’t know how to fight back or join unions. Most of my friends don’t even know what unions do, and this means we’re always going to be the first to go.
That’s why I’m going on this march – to show that young people can and will fight back.
Michael Cooper, Durham
I want to go because I want to be part of a campaign that I strongly believe in – mainly because the prospect of coming out of education (or not even being able to carry on my education to degree level) into the current climate, and not having any job to go into scares me.
Ella Robinson, A-level student, Leicester
I will be marching on Thursday to show that my generation will not stand for any attempts to make us pay for this crisis. My university degree is set to cost me £9,500 in top-up fees alone and that’s before books, accommodation and living costs are included. Now it looks like fees are going to rise to £5,000 a year, probably even more if the vice-chancellors get their way. I think a decent, free education is not too much to ask for in the fifth richest country in the world. In fact it should be our right!
Ted Smith, Birmingham Socialist Party
As a student, and under 21, I’m subjected to huge tuition fees and paid just £4.75 an hour for the part-time job I have to support my studies. YFfJ is about marching to declare that young people are unable to live under such conditions.
NJ Cross, Camden
I’m marching because I’m really angry that working-class and young people are facing a bleak future as a result of the bosses’ financial crisis. Unemployment is rising and we face job cuts, low pay and insecure jobs (if we have one!). Brown hands out billions to the bankers, yet there’s no investment in decent jobs and training or funding available for free education. I’ve been applying for jobs for almost four months now and it’s a nightmare. It looks like we’ve got no choice but to fight for our future!
