TUC Summer Patrol
Summer Patrol finds us canvassing businesses in city centres, asking to speak to young workers on zero hour contracts and shift work about their rights and work conditions. We want to know what's happening in workplaces, and we want young workers to hear about trade unions.
Bradford and Sheffield Summer Patrol - HeartUnions Week
As part of HeartUnions week, we canvassed businesses in city centres, asking to speak to young workers on ZHCs and shift work about their rights and work conditions. Our goal was to find out what’s happening in workplaces right now, and for young workers to hear about trade unions.
LO Norge (the Norwegian TUC) Summer Patrol
In July 2018, LO Norge (the Norwegian TUC) in Møre and Romsdal region invited TUC Yorkshire & the Humber and activists from the GMB and BFAWU unions to observe and participate in their annual summer patrol exercise targeting young workers.
This patrol operated on the basis of a business door-knock, where activists travelled from town to town, visiting businesses unannounced to speak to young workers about their conditions and rights at work.
Four young trade union delegates from Yorkshire took part, and observed an incredibly successful and inspiring project which:
- Raised the profile of trade unions with young people
- Acted as a watchdog to scrutinise application of working rights by businesses
- Gave unions a data collection and press opportunity to draw attention to ZHCs, low pay, safety concerns, insecure work
- Fostered an important cross-union sense of solidarity and an important socialising opportunity for young trade unionists to build networks, which encouraged a high level of participation
Due to these factors, the patrol experience is a hugely positive first or early encounter with trade unionism both for young workers being interviewed, and for the activists participating in the patrol.
Our proposal led to test pilot this patrol model in Yorkshire, as a trade union best practice for engaging with young workers and encourage a higher level of trade union activism from existing young trade unionists.
