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Why we need TUC Young Workers Month

Issue date

The below is a summary of some of the key issues affecting young workers today and an explanation of why TUC Young Workers Month is so important.

Low Pay/ No Pay:

  • Research by the Resolution Foundation found that almost three in 10 (29%) of those aged 21 to 30  are now low paid – equating to almost 1.5 million young workers.
  • Young workers earn less than the average median wage. The mean hourly rate for 16-17 year olds is £5.26 per hour and for 18-21 year olds its £7.62, compared with a mean average hourly rate of £15.15 for all employees.
  • Since 2010 the number of 16-20 year-olds illegally not being paid the minimum wage has increased by 52%​
  • Over 1/4 million or 37% of 16-24 year old workers are on zero hour contracts
  • 10 per cent of all employees earn less than £6.58, the figure for 18-21 is £5.20 and for 16-17 year-olds just £3.68
  • The minimum wage for 18-20 year olds is just £5.13 and for apprentices just £2.73, compared to £6.21 for 21 and over.
  • Average pay for all apprentices is £6.21, but for 16-18 year old apprentices it is £3.77
  • 29 per cent of apprentices are paid below the applicable NMW rate
  • 183,000 of national minimum wage jobs are done by 18-20 year olds (17.8 per cent of jobs in the age group), and 39,000 jobs held by 16-17 year olds (14.7 per cent of jobs in the age group).
  • The number of young people doing unpaid internships and work experience grew rapidly during the recession.
  • The government had to re-claim arrears for unpaid internships totalling £193,873 last year.

Unemployment:

  • Three quarters of a million 16-24 year olds are  unemployed
  • Young people are the only age group where long-term unemployment increased in the latest figures.
  • Job seekers allowance for under 25’s is just £57.35 pw,  whereas for 25 and over it is £72.40-  a difference of £15.05 a week!
  • Government plans are set to withdraw benefits from young people unemployed for over 6 months, leaving them with no alternative to workfare.

Student debt:

  • Educational Maintenance Allowance has been scrapped, whilst tuition fees have trebled to £9,000.
  • The average debt of a student on a three year degree course is over £40,000
  • Government have also made changes to the way interest on student loans is calculated. Interest rates under the new system are set to rise.

Insecure work:

A record number of young people are working in insecure jobs, with no guarantee of regular hours or regular pay. Rather than permanent contracts that offer stability, a high proportion of under 35s are working in Short-term, fixed-term, zero-hours, agency work, temporary work and part-time placements.

The TUC’s Casulisation and Low Pay report shows that:

  • 31% of all temporary workers are aged under 25
  • 38% of all those employed on zero hour contracts are aged under 30
  • 34% of all agency workers aged under 30
  • 43% of those aged 20-24 who are in temporary work want a permanent  job
  • 44% of those aged 25-29 are in temporary work and looking for permanent work, compared to just 6% who like the flexibility
  • 45% of those aged 25-29 in temporary work want more hours
  • 45% of those aged 25-29 in temporary work are currently under employed, in part-time work when they want full time.

Housing:

  • Cuts to Housing benefit for under-25s
  • Record number of young people living at home with parents:
  • According to the Office for National Statistics, a total of 3.3 million 20- to 34-year-olds lived with their parents in 2013, the highest number since it started keeping records in 1996.
  • The average age of a first-time house buyer has risen to 35.
  • A recent TUC Young Workers Housing survey found that almost 40% of respondents under 35 had to save for more than 5 years to raise enough money for a mortgage, a further 60% said they relied on financial help from friends and family to pay their deposit.
  • The survey also found 75% of private renters said they would buy their own home if they had the money.
  • The same survey found that London renters are spending an average of 46% of their pay on rent. The national average is 41%.

Young people need a voice:

  • Back in 2010, barely more than four in ten people in the 18 to 24 year-old age group voted.
  • According to research by Electoral Reform Society almost 1 million 18-21 year olds are missing from the electoral register.
  • Just 7 per cent of young workers aged between 16-24 are members of a trade union

Making sure young people know how to vote and are registered to vote is a priority campaign for the TUC young workers forum and they have produced registration packs with bite the ballot to promote voter registration to young workers- these packs will be available to download on 24th November 2014, from the TUC website.

The TUC Young Workers Forum are also working on a joint strategy for Organising Young Workers after a motion was passed at TUC Congress 2014 calling for a targeted approach to recruiting and organising young workers, specifically in casualised workplaces such as: retail, catering and hospitality.

TUC Young workers month

Held in November every year, the aim of young workers' month is to highlight the issues that young workers face, promote union campaigns which aim to tackle these issues and promote union membership to young people who need representation and a voice in the workplace and beyond.

Having a specific month dedicated to young workers also focuses the work unions are doing to ensure young members are represented in internal structures, whether it’s creating young workers committees, keeping reserved seats for young members on executive boards, running young workers recruitment drives or holding young workers conferences- Young Workers Month provides a platform to achieve it.

November is an opportunity for union reps, activists and campaigners to reach out and inform young workers about trade unions and ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for young people to get involved and play an active role in shaping the movement.

For 2014 unions have organised a series of events and activities which will be taking place throughout the November. TUC regions will also be running joint activity across the country. The National TUC office have organised the Big TUC Youth Debate , a Young Leaders training weekend and a Young Workers recruitment video.

Help us promote the month and show your support with the Young Workers Month twibbon and by tweeting using the hashtag #YWM14

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