Zero hour workers - basic rights

Possible invitation letter to BtZ Wales launch

Allan Screen Secretary UCU Wales Retired Members Branch Allanscreen857@gmail.com

 

July 4, 2017

Wales ‘Better than Zero Campaign’

Invitation to Trade unions, Trade Associations and other interested parties

Wales UCU (Union of Colleges and Universities) has long been concerned about the growing support for the argument that there is a generational divide between those of us who have retired and younger people still working. We have had some discussions about this and have taken into account the UCU’s stamp out casual contracts campaign. In this context the Scottish campaign Better Than Zero (http://www.betterthanzero.org/) was raised as perhaps something we could support and help take forward in Wales It was agreed at the UCU Wales Congress in March 2017 to support a campaign in Wales.

To explore this idea further we thought it might be useful if we organized an exploratory meeting with other trade unions and interested parties and to invite a speaker from the Scottish campaign to address this meeting. We have arranged for Bryan Simpson, Organiser for the ‘Better than Zero’ Campaign (Scotland) to address the meeting and share his experiences of the Scottish campaign and to advise us on how we can take our campaign forward.

The aims of the campaign would be to

-        Firstly, to help organise young people into unions using local community groups rather than just workplaces as has been successful in New Zealand, US and Canada. In Scotland the ‘Better than Zero’ campaign has received support from the Scottish TUC. There has been a worrying decline in union membership across both the private and public sectors and this campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits of trade union membership amongst young people.

-        Secondly, the campaign aims to build bridges between older and younger people and to highlight the artificial divide between young and old that has resulted in a notion of ‘inter-generation’ unfairness something that is exploited by the media and government.

-        Thirdly, to put forward the case that ‘precarious working’ is something that as a society we do not accept and to push for secure well paid jobs for all.

The meeting will be held on 8^th. September, 2017 at the UNITE HO, Cathedral Road , Cardiff from 1pm to 4pm. Please confirm attendance to allanscreen857@gmail.com

Regards

Allan Screen

Secretary

UCU (Wales) Retired Members Branch