Unison young members forum

You ain't no yoof no more...

Hah. Youth Union Movement (YUM) over here, which is the youth branch of the Council of Trade Unions (the only trade union federation) is 35 and under. It's a sad indictment on the state of unions that they have to make the youth bracket that big, I guess.

I used to get these through the post (I'm no longer in Unison or under 26 though) and they looked like complete shite to me. I don't see much in the way of workplace issues which affect people under 26 more than any other group (certainly a 26-year-old might well have more in common with a 40 year-old than someone who's 17 or whatever), so the only reason I could think of for it existing is a desperate attempt to get younger people involved in the union as such.

Yes catch, I think that's a fair assessment. The ones I've met from it are pretty terrible, a lot of new labour wannabe career bureaucrat types. Still, could be interesting to look into it to see how the bureaucracy functions.

My girtlfriend was an active member of unison young members forum until this year(we´re in south america so it would be a bit difficult) and she reckons it helped her build her conference as a trade unionist without a political background or experience, going to young members meetings and making presentations and stuff to people nearer her own age and stuff, was a bit less scary than addressing meetings packed with hardened expereinced older types.

I don´t think its a despereate attempt to get "young people" involved though, but a genuine attempt to provide a space for younger members, anymore than AYN was a desperate attempt to get people involved in anarchism