AS UNEMPLOYMENT continues to rocket it is youth who are the most hard hit.
And those who do manage to get Jobs face appalling wages and lack of interest from the unions.
Jade Woodward talked to some anemployed youth in Birmingham about their work prospects.
Their experience forcibly demonstrates that for young workers it is anemployment that is the most burning issue.
And it is particularly on this issue that the unions should be making a big drive to bring young workers into he organised Is Dour movement.
Tony is 18, he left school two years aro, presently he is unemployed this time it has been for four days.
Since left school I've had fou Jor five jobs, I've worked mostl in factories. When I first left school it was difficult to get work.
You went to the Job Centre and saw a job you thought you could do. but you had to have experience before you could get it.
Discipline It was about a year before 1 got my first job - working in the market on a stall. I gave that one up as it was such long hours and such lousy pay E17 a week.
I came from Ireland originally. about six years ago. My parents died and 1 came to my aunt.
But 1 lived in children's homes a lot of the time, I didn't like school, it was discipline all day then I went home to the same discipline or worse. I just wanted to get out.
Next I got a job packing. I was working Sam-Spr and picking up E22 for that.
I left that after abour six months - by then I had a flat and I couldn't pay for it on that kind of money.
Generally I found jobs myself, through walking around the factory areas for hours knocking on every door.
Boring I tried to get jobs at the Job Centre but they'd ring up the employer and find the job was filled. They'd say: We've got someone here who thinks he can do the job — he's never done it You might drag all the way down there and then get toid the job was I went on a training scheme once - I just gave it up after three wocks, It was really boring You'd just put a screw in a pipe over and over again tor days they'd say you'd learnt something. Some guys would do it for six months and just learn to press buttons — then they'd say you'd got a skill. - gOt They'd say you were starting to learn how to somethine like that.
One guy who did the course shows his certificate when he goes for a job. The guy who sees him comes out with all these long words about machines reasonable property for homeless women.
Tony anc I Mark Can you use machine?
doesn't know.
quarter the industrial revolution.
I was pickling, then hot and cold water.
never provided overalls to do about it.
vveralls.' take bome зу 10 nights from 10pm 10 8an and lo it himsel use machines or chances at the Icaving school.
such and such guy doesn't now what it looks like so he jus don't last long.
My next job was in the Jewellery - part of Birmingham where 130-E35 is good pay. they make jewellery, left over from that's trophies and cups into vats of acid The job itself was OK, but they protect tot seven 'O' levels your clothes from the acid. Most of the factories in the quarter are not in the union so there's not much you can and design They just said: Well, get your only last job has been in the bakeries, working nights. 1 got E32 you as a person What happened with that was that GUILING ONES I learnt the job from the foreman.
After 2 or 3 months the gaffer comes up and tells me I'm doing it all wrong.
lost my temper and told him 1 All I can do is keep looking and hope to lind another job, but the moment are pretty vague because of all the new people In Birmingham at least, jobs like basic CSEs. these are the only ones open to vounger kids with no qualifications. And they're such crap jobs that they What I'd call a good job is any job Mark is 16 and left school a year ago, he is unemployed having had one job since he left school. 1 was chucked out of school in the March, but I went back it May and June last year to do exams. I I'm interested in doing work tha uses the talcots I've got in drawing - like technical drawing.
The only way to get that kind of job isto get an apprenticeship or go to college and do an ONC or HNC Doing an apprenticeship destroys - it's four years of shit wages which effectively imprisons you at home. You ve got no money to That's how they operate - 10 make sure you've got no freedom.
When you're young you've got a tendency to be more rebellious, to take less shit, so the work discipline is tough and they ensure you have to stay at home so you are under the control of your parents, You can get a craft apprenticeship al British Leyland with one or two I could have gol it as may father works at Leyland. family have worked at Longbridge and T've seen what it does to them. I used to go past everyday and saw them all coming out depressing.
In our area it's the equivalent ot going down the pits But the apprenticeship is not bad pay if you stay at home - and in the end you'd be alright.
A frend of mine — Keith — is an apprentice electrician. But he won't Till then he just has to take shit fror the bosses, the other workers and the He was told to so and work in B unions don't care Peterborough on contract work for three months, It's a 60 hour week for E90. But be has to live in digs and pay for all that.
A mate of his got hit by something falling from the scaffolding and had his back broken. Keith could hardly face going back after that.
Stupid I want to go to college but that poses problems us at my age you can't get a grant. And fulltime at college you can 1 sign on You have to survive off your parents. Mine weren't prepared to do that before, but i think they are now But I don't want to live at home -there's no choice I have to go down and report to the Careers Service every week.
I told them I wasn't prepared to accept a job where I worked 40 hours for 121 and they'd agree with me. But then they'd come hack and offer me a job as a shit-shoveller and things like i'a They treat you as though you're stupid. They treat you like a kid They offered me a job as an offic junior for Cl6 a week!!
The way the dole operates is in The only communication with others is the acne on the person in front of you's neck We've got to try and break through that isolation and get rogether and try to orginise And the unions should take an interest and not let us get pushed around and ripped off when we dol get work.