Received from: TUC Young Workers' Conference
Young workers are some of the lowest paid in the workforce. Often in casual, junior or apprenticeship positions, they are on the sharp edge of the cost-of-living crisis.
The TUC notes that annual pay growth in the UK has been -0.2 per cent since 2007, and it is one of just 7 out of 33 OECD countries where real pay growth since 2007 is negative.
The TUC attributes this to austerity politics and hard trade union laws, impacting the ability of workers to organise.
The last year has seen a wave of strike action across the trade union movement aimed at safeguarding and improving pay, terms, and conditions for workers. UNISON’s young members have taken part in strike action in the higher education sector and the ambulance service.
Congress believes that young workers should not have to shoulder the burden for economic policies that benefit corporations rather than workers; and that strong unions are the best way to safeguard pay levels for all workers including young workers.
Congress asks the TUC Young Workers Forum to:
i. promote the importance of union membership to young workers to improve pay
ii. share examples of young workers taking part in strike action and organising for better pay
iii. consider producing a guide to industrial action for young workers who may not have taken part in industrial action previously
iv. work with the TUC General Council to campaign against discriminatory minimum wage rates for young workers.
TUC Young Workers Conference