AGENDA. YOUTH CONFERENCE SATURDAY 23 rd JANUARY The Mechanics Centre Ltd 103 Princess Street (Major Street Entrance) Manchester M1 6DD

Transcription

1 AGENDA YOUTH CONFERENCE SATURDAY 23 rd JANUARY 2016 The Mechanics Centre Ltd 103 Princess Street (Major Street Entrance) Manchester M1 6DD

2 Message from the General Secretary Dear Colleagues, I would like to welcome you to CWU Youth Conference for 2016, my first as General Secretary. I look forward to hearing the debate and meeting as many of you as possible over the course of the day. We are meeting at an important time for labour movement and working people. We face not only an attack on trade unions and their ability to stand up for their members, with the government's Trade Union Bill currently before Parliament, but five more years of damaging austerity under the Conservatives. Young people in particular have borne the brunt of the austerity agenda so far with the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance; the trebling of tuition fees; and the withdrawal of housing benefit from under 25s. This is by no means a comprehensive list. There are two other key issues affecting young people which are priorities for the union's political and campaign work. Firstly, the housing crisis. Every adult has the right to a decent home, yet for the vast majority of young people today this has become unattainable. When successive governments have fuelled a house-price boom, while failing to build enough to meet demand, something has gone seriously wrong. Secondly insecurity at work. Over the past two decades we have seen a significant shift in the balance of forces in the workplace and an explosion in insecure employment models. In the telecoms industry we have seen this with agency work and new 'pay between assignment' contracts. In the postal industry, we see parcels operators using bogus self-employment, and companies like Whistl relying on zero-hours contracts. Again, these trends disproportionately affect young people entering the world of work for the first time. What these issues and those covered on today's agenda - tell me is that while some people might have thought trade unions are becoming less relevant, they are increasingly important for resisting these trends and giving young people a voice. This is clearly a message we need to be taking out to young people we want to join the CWU and I want to hear your views today about recruitment, and the way the union engages with you, and how we can do these things better. Today is also an opportunity for you to debate and have your say on the union's structures and services. I want to see more young people coming up through the union and I want to hear your views about how we can achieve this. I recently wrote a column in the Voice about the need to re-design the CWU and I want young people to have a major say in what we need to do to create our future. For those of you who are attending a conference for the first time, I hope you'll take the opportunity to speak and make a contribution and I hope everybody here enjoys the day ahead. Dave Ward General Secretary - 1 -

3 Message from the Officer to the National Youth Committee Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the 2016 Youth Conference! The CWU has just about the best provision for young members and young activists of any union in the country. No other union has such a wellentrenched structure to encourage and support the engagement of young members. Let s remember that in our union we have a National Youth Committee, Regional Youth Committees, Branch Youth Officers, a policy-making a Youth Conference, representation on the NEC and the industrial executives, and an annual national event all enshrined either in our rulebook or as a result of an explicit decision of our Annual Conference. But if we have a fine set of constitutional arrangements, getting them to work and to be alive and responsive is another matter. That is why there are not more of you at this conference. That s why some branches are not represented at conference. That is the challenge for us to fill in the gaps, make ourselves more accessible, dismantle barriers to participation. It is all about not just having the team, the venue and the challenge it is about us being as match fit as possible. In that sense, today s conference is both an important training exercise a big match. Thank you for your involvement, your activism and for being here. We can and will achieve our goal. Simon Sapper Officer to National Youth Committee - 2 -

4 Message from the Chair, Youth Advisory Committee Dear Colleagues, Welcome to all delegates and attendees to Youth Conference, held in the historic Mechanics' Institutes - the birthplace of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Youth Conference is the main event in the calendar for young activists within the CWU to actively participate in the changing of policy of this union. Last year Youth Conference was the birthplace of a motion that was taken to General Conference which has changed the unions approach to housing policy in a way not seen before. Although a serious policy conference, Youth Conference is a little more relaxed and forgiving so don t feel nervous about contributing. Try not to feel too scared if this is your first time speaking at conference and remember - everybody in this room was in your position at some time or another even myself. This year, I ll be especially looking to invite first time delegates and speakers from the floor as conference proceeds, so If you are new, try not to be phased by conference, but embrace it. For those returning, welcome back! Please try to welcome any faces you haven t seen before, share your experiences to others and help fellow members however you can. Throughout the event, please feel free to ask any questions, provide feedback or report any concerns you have either to myself or any member of the National Committee or the National Officer. I hope you all have an enjoyable conference and participate in the debates before you, but more importantly leave feeling you ve made a positive difference. Ben Abrams Leeds No.1 Amal Branch Chair, Youth Committee - 3 -

5 Contents Message from the General Secretary 1 Welcome from the Officer 2 Welcome from Chair, Youth Advisory Committee 3 Welcome from the General Conference Standing Orders Committee 4 Standing Orders 5 Timetable 10 Youth Advisory Committee Annual Report Update on Motions adopted at Youth Conference Section I: Industrial Issues Motions 1 19 Section II: National Issues Motions Motions Not Admitted to the Agenda Motions * * * * * * * * Welcome from the General Conference Standing Orders Committee Page The General Conference Standing Orders Committee once again has the privilege of organising this year s Youth Conference and having the responsibility of drawing up the Agenda and Standing Orders. As the Youth Conference is well established within the CWU, the Standing Orders Committee have made the Standing Orders more detailed in line with General Conference Standing Orders. Submitted motions in Category II are eligible for the ballot to go forward to this year s General Conference. As always if there are any questions on Conference procedures the Standing Orders Committee are always ready to answer any questions or queries any delegate should have. Finally on behalf of the Standing Orders Committee let us wish you a successful conference. Tony Sneddon and Paddy Magill General Conference Standing Orders Committee - 4 -

6 Youth Conference 2016 Standing Orders 1. The sessions of the 2016 Conference shall commence in accordance with the timetable. 2. TIMETABLE a Registration Chairpersons opening remarks Video Presentation Dave Ward, General Secretary Standing Orders Committee Report and Adoption of Standing Orders Section 1 Motion Section II Motions Guest Speaker UNI Presentation Lunch Guest Speaker - CWUHA Section II Motions Continued Workshops TBA Officers Comments Result of Ballots and closing remarks Conference closes b The doors of Conference will open at with conference commencing at and closing at Conference is divided into two half-day sessions. If the business of any section is completed within the timetable, the Conference shall proceed immediately to the next section of business. If all the business of the final section is completed within the timetable, the Conference shall return to the earliest uncompleted business. 3. PROCEDURE IN DEBATE a Every member of the Conference must remain in their seat, except the one who may be addressing the Conference and, should the Chairperson rise, no-one else shall continue standing nor shall anyone else rise until the Chairperson has resumed the Chair. SPEAKERS b A delegate when speaking from the rostrum shall address the Chairperson. If two or more persons desire to speak at the same time the Chairperson shall decide to whom priority will be given. No person shall be allowed to speak twice on the same question. c d e All speeches shall be confined to the subject under discussion. Delegates may only refer to documents which have a bearing on the subject under discussion. (i) Motions standing in the name of a Branch must be moved by a delegate from that Branch. (ii) Motions standing in the name of a Regional Committee if appropriate, must be moved by a delegate from that body (in line with Rule 10)

7 (ii) Motions must be seconded or else they shall be deemed to have fallen. COMPOSITE MOTIONS f g A motion may be seconded formally or by a speaker making a seconding speech. All sponsors of a composite motion will be responsible for agreeing the allocation of moving and seconding speakers from amongst those named within the composite motion, notwithstanding the terms of SO3e(i) and (ii). h The mover of a motion shall be allowed to speak for not more than 5 minutes and any other speaker (including the mover exercising the right of reply) for not more than 3 minutes. In EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES a speaker may request the special permission of Conference to speak for a longer period, if agreed, it shall not exceed a further 3 minutes. ENDING DEBATE i j k l m n The moving speaker shall have the right of reply to the debate only if there has been opposition and shall not introduce any fresh matter but shall be limited to answering the debate. The Advisory Committee (including the relevant Officer) shall in addition to moving and exercising the right of reply be allowed a maximum of one speaker in a debate on motions standing in the name of the Advisory Committee (SO3i applies to the Advisory Committee). The Advisory Committee (including the relevant Officer) shall only be allowed one speaker in debate on all other motions not standing in the name of the Advisory Committee. No motion shall be spoken upon except by the mover, until it has been seconded. The mover of a motion who sits down without speaking upon it shall lose the right of addressing Conference, but shall still have the right of reply (SO3i) applies. The seconder of a motion who sits down without speaking upon it shall not lose the right of addressing Conference. Any delegate who has not spoken on the motion before Conference may move That the motion be now put on the seconding of which the Chairperson shall immediately and without discussion put this motion to the vote. In the event of it being carried by a simple majority of Conference, Conference shall proceed to vote on the question itself, subject to SO3k and the right of reply as stated in SO3i being exercised. Any delegate who has not spoken on the motion before Conference may move That Conference proceeds to next business, on the seconding of which the Chairperson shall immediately and without discussion put this motion to the vote. In the event of it being carried Conference shall at once proceed to the next item on its agenda. WITHDRAWAL o Any motion or composite motion may be withdrawn from the Agenda at any time by the sponsor(s) who shall notify the Standing Orders Committee at the earliest opportunity. Once it has been moved and seconded, however, it shall not be withdrawn except with the agreement of Conference by a simple majority vote. POINT OF ORDER p Any person wishing to question the proceedings of Conference may rise on a point of order, and when called shall state the procedural point in exact terms, whereupon the Chairperson shall immediately give a ruling - 6 -

8 or refer the matter to the Standing Orders Committee for a decision. Any person raising points of order must seek to prove one or more of the following:- (i) That the speaker is using unparliamentary language. (ii) That the speaker is digressing from the subject of the motion. (iii) That the rules of the Union are being broken. (iv) That there is an infringement of the customary rules of debate. (v) That there is an infringement of the Standing Orders (which shall be referred to the Standing Orders Committee). q r The Chairperson s ruling on a point of order shall be final unless it is challenged. The correct method of challenging the ruling shall be to move: I wish to challenge your ruling. Such a motion shall be carried by a simple majority. The Standing Orders Committee shall have the right to enter debate on all matters affecting the decisions and role of the Committee. 4. VOTING PROCEDURE a Voting at the Youth Conference shall normally be by a show of hand voting cards which shall be issued on the basis of one per Branch in attendance. b A card vote may be called for either by the Chairperson of the Youth Conference or when 5 or more delegates call for such a vote immediately on the announcement of the decision of the hand vote. DURING A CARD VOTE ALL PERSONS MUST REMAIN IN THEIR SEATS AND NO PERSON SHALL ENTER OR LEAVE THE FLOOR OF CONFERENCE. Instructions on the card vote will be given by the SOC. When the motion being voted upon has a consequential effect on the following motion(s), Conference will proceed to the next item of business unaffected by the card vote result. When the card vote result is announced Conference will return to the earlier item provided it is within the timetable. c A motion will be deemed carried if it obtains a simple majority of the votes cast. 5. PROCEDURE FOR EMERGENCY MOTIONS a Emergency motions may only be submitted for inclusion in the Agenda if they refer to a matter which because of the circumstances giving rise to them could not possibly have been submitted by the published closing date for motions. Such emergency motions will only be accepted by the SOC if they constitute a significant and important matter, which requires a decision by Conference. b c Emergency motions must reach the Standing Orders Committee at CWU Headquarters by midnight on Tuesday 19 th January Delegates will be advised by the SOC whether or not the emergency motion has been accepted for inclusion to the Agenda prior to the commencement of Conference. Any emergency motion submitted after the above date must be notified to the Standing Orders Committee as soon as possible. Delegates will be advised by the SOC whether or not the emergency motion has been - 7 -

9 accepted for inclusion to the agenda as a matter of urgency. d A decision taken by Conference shall not be open to the emergency procedure at the same Conference. 6. APPEALS/REFERENCE BACK PROCEDURE a Written notice of appeals/intention to move reference back against decisions of the Standing Orders Committee as published in the Agenda regarding:- (i) Motions not admitted to the agenda (ii) inclusion/exclusion of motions in a composite (iii) the priority/placement given to a motion (iv) timetable/programme of business (v) the Standing Orders for Conference (vi) the consequential rulings on motions must reach the Standing Orders Committee at CWU Headquarters by midnight on Tuesday 19 th January Such written notice must advise of the intention to appeal/move reference back to alter the published agenda with details and reasons for doing so. After consideration of appeals/reference backs by the SOC, Branches, Advisory Committees, and Regional Committees (if appropriate) wishing to continue their appeal/reference back must seek to do so by addressing Conference at the commencement of conference. b c d Challenges to other SOC decisions as printed or announced in supplementary SOC reports must be made at the time the supplementary report is moved. All appeals/reference backs will be deemed carried if they have the support of a simple majority of Conference. The Advisory Committees will also be required to follow these procedures. 7. SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS a Motions to suspend Standing Orders shall only be allowed to deal with business or circumstances that could not have been foreseen when the Timetable/Programme of Business was adopted. b The Chairperson may accept a motion for the suspension of Standing Orders provided no motion is on the floor being debated. Any such motion must state the Standing Order/Orders involved and also state the nature and urgency of the business as to why the suspension is required. The Chairperson shall immediately refer such a motion to the Standing Orders Committee who shall express their view before the vote is taken. A motion for the suspension of Standing Orders will be carried if supported by a simple majority of the Conference and shall take no longer than 15 minutes. 8. BALLOTS a There will be a ballot to select two motions this Conference will forward for submission to the 2016 General Conference. The ballot paper for General Conference selection will be printed on the reverse of the hand voting card

10 Motions in Section II which are carried are eligible for the ballot for General Conference. The ballot will take place at the end of Section 2 motions. The ballot box will be open subject to the timetable of Conference and located next to the administration table. The SOC shall be responsible for counting the ballot and advising the Chairperson of the result, which will be announced prior to the close of Conference. In the event of a tie, the SOC will administer an exhaustive ballot. b Should there be a request at General Conference to remit a motion in respect of the 2016 Conference motions, the mover of the motion at General Conference will be deemed to have the authority to agree to the remittance on behalf of the 2016 Conference, subject to the agreement of General Conference. There will be a ballot to select the two delegates that will represent the Youth Conference at the 2016 General Conference 9. PROHIBITIONS The use of mobile telephones are prohibited anywhere within the confines of the Conference Hall. No documents, posters or banners shall be circulated, distributed or displayed within the Conference Hall without the permission of the Standing Orders Committee

11 Timetable and Programme of Business Registration Chairpersons opening remarks Video Presentation Dave Ward, General Secretary Standing Orders Committee Report and Adoption of Standing Orders Section I Motion Section II Motions Guest Speaker UNI Presentation Lunch Guest Speaker - CWUHA Section II Motions Continued Workshops TBA Officers Comments Result of Ballots and Closing remarks Conference closes DELEGATES ARE REMINDED THAT THE BALLOT BOX WILL BE LOCATED AT THE SOC TABLE

12 Youth Advisory Committee 1. TERMS OF REFERENCE Rule 8.13 defines the terms of reference for the Youth Committee. 2. ACTIVITIES (a) Meetings The Youth Committee meets quarterly and its Minutes are circulated via the NEC to Regional Committees and Branches. They are also placed on the Youth Section of the CWU website. Young CWU members are always welcome as observers. In 2015 the Committee met in London, Birmingham and Cardiff. Ben Abrams (Leeds Amal No 1) has been Chair during this period. Charlotte Regan (Greater London Combined) and Chantelle McNally (Scotland No 1) were joint Vice-Chairs until June; Jake Fear (South Wales) became Vice-Chair from July onwards. (b) Training The newly elected committee held its inaugural meeting in August 2015 and it agreed to arrange training sessions prior to their scheduled committee meetings. Individual Youth Committee members are also completed a skills and training audit and are encouraged to participate in the Union s Education and Training programme for Branch Officers. Training sessions on interviewing skills, press releases, social media and recruitment skills have either taken place or are planned. (c) Communications The CWU Youth newsletter is efutureproof; it is distributed direct to members and is designed to be as accessible as possible. Editorial control of content remains with the Youth Committee. The committee continues to look at alternative methods in communicating news to young members to keep it fresh and up-to-date. Discussions with the Communications Department about the role of young members in the union s overall communications strategy have taken place throughout the year, and a Broadcast Media training course took place in October. This will be repeated as soon as is practicably possible. Work on a CWUYouth smartphone app takes place under the umbrella of the Communications Department s overall strategy The Youth Committee continues to produce and host podcasts, downloadable from the CWUYouth website. Our Facebook Fan Page ( ) and Twitter feed (@cwuyouth) continue to attract attention and members/followers. The redesign of the Youth website has now been completed and has been migrated to the main site but continues to retain editorial independence and its own web address The transfer to a new hosting company is expected to enable us to make much greater use of web-based communications. (d) External Bodies UNI The Youth Committee plays an active role in the UNI structures, primarily at European level. Becca Hufton (Kent Invicta) was elected Vice-president of the UNI Europe Youth Steering Group, taking over from Lee Fishwick (North Lancs and Cumbria) who stood down as World and Europe UNi Youth President in June. We thank Lee for his sterling contribution on our behalf

13 TUC The Youth Committee plays an active role in TUC Youth structures. Ben Abrams, Becca Hufton and Alan Bebbington (all National Youth Committee), have comprised a pool of delegates to attend the Youth Forum, TUC Youth Conference and other TUC events. A CWU motion on Mental Health was selected by the Conference to go forwarded to main TUC Congress. CWU has also participated in a number of seminars and events organised by the TUC, and regularly provides policy input to TUC submissions and conferences. CWUYouth was well represented at TUC Congress in September, with Ben Abrams moving a motion on mental Health (see above) and Dan Lewis Bootle FS) being the CWU s first ever recipient of the Congress Award for Youth. CWUYouth also contributed to the TUC Young Workers Forum month of action in November. Activity included innovative support for ht TUC Young Workers housing charter, a nation-wide survey of Young Members in Scotland, and a regional youth event in Northern Ireland. STUC Darren Brown (Glasgow & District Amal branch) sat on the STUC Youth Committee until June. ICTU The recently reformulated ICTU Youth Steering Group is supported by CWU, and Northern Ireland members of the Committee attend as regularly as they can. Labour Party Ben Abrams sits on the National Executive of Young Labour, and he, Alan Bebbington and Becca Hufton represented the union at their national conference. (e) National Youth Education Event The fourteenth National Youth Education Event was held in Birmingham on 30 October 1 November A total of 65 people in attendance over the course of the weekend: 44 young participants from 27branches of those participants 21 were first timers. Attendance was significantly lower than in previous years despite significant efforts to encourage participation. Both the Youth Committee and Head Office are reviewing youth engagement to understand fully what changes may be necessary to address the causes of this. Nevertheless, the weekend was a particularly success, judged by the feedback forms from those who were there. The weekend retained its traditional format with roundtable discussions giving participants access to the Deputy General Secretaries, in order to put their concerns directly to them. These sessions were very well received. We also held workshop sessions hosted Liberty, Football Supporters Federation and Generation Rent Part of the output from each workshop was in the form of Motions which were debated, and agreed, in a Mock Conference Session. The Committee wishes to thank Jo Thair at HQ for co-ordinating the event, and the Vice- President, Deputy General Secretaries and General Secretary for, once again, making time to address the event, despite extensive external pressures. We were also joined by Lauren Usher from the TUC who gave a presentation on the activities planned to oppose the forthcoming Trade Union Bill. At time of writing, a report on the NYEE is being prepared. It will be circulated to participants, branches and can be found on the CWU website

14 3. UNDER-REPRESENTATION/PROPORTIONALITY The Committee continues to be fully supportive of the union s work on Proportionality. In the case of Women, the committee convened a further meeting of the Women s under representation Working Party in October. A report and action plan has been issued and widely distributed. 4. YOUTH CONFERENCE The tenth Youth Conference was held in London on 24 January The action taken on the motions adopted in 2014 was published on line and via an LtB. The 2016 Youth Conference will be taking place on 23 January at the Mechanics Institute in Manchester. The NEC has agreed that the 2017 Youth Conference will take place on 21 January with the venue to be determined. 5. BRANCH YOUTH OFFICERS In 2006, General Conference adopted Rule amendment Motion 119 which obliged branches to create and fill the role of Branch Youth Officer on Branch Committees. The Committee continues to work with branches and regions to encourage the development of Branch Youth Officers. For the first time since 2008, a Branch Youth Officers forum was held in June. The event was well-attended. A report was published to branches and is available from the website. The action points included a revised BYO Toolkit, more resources on the history and structure of the CWU and a fresh emphasis on the personal histories of young CWU activists (the This Is Me project) A further Branch Youth Officers' forum will take place in Newcastle on 8 June The new membership database allows greater visibility of all CWU representatives and the committee has identified a number of branches where there are young officers but no Branch Youth Officer. Arrangements are being drawn up for alerting those branches to the possibility of the BYO role being undertaken by a young branch officer who is already in an alternative role. Indeed, ensuring that BYOs are more aligned with the IR rep structures is seen as a key objective moving forward. This was highlighted in a features article in the November/December edition of CWU Voice 6. REGIONAL YOUTH COMMITTEES General Conference 2006 adopted Rule amendment Motion 121 which obliged Regions to establish or reconstitute Regional Youth Committees. Regional youth activity is now either in place or is being actively developed in all regions. The committee would like to express it s appreciation for the strong support from all Regional Secretaries. The committee has reissued the protocol to try and bring consistency to the way in which the committee works with branches in each region. 7. CAMPAIGNING ACTIVITIES The committee continues to support homelessness charity Crisis UK and again entered the Crisis Square Mile run to raise funds for the charity. Thanks are due to all those who supported this initiative. The importance to CWU Youth of housing was reflected by composite motion 1 at General Conference this being based on the text of the motion to Youth Conference. The committee

15 also worked closely with Generation Rent, and sponsored A Queens Speech on Housing at the time of the General Election. This was quickly endorsed by the NEC. We play a leading role in the TUC Young Workers Forum, on housing, and co-hosted (with LabourList) a fringe meeting at Labour Party conference on the issue. Efforts to arrange a specialist events aimed at young members on Mental Health/Wellbeing continue and it is hoped that a date and other details can be announced by the time of Youth Conference Finally, the committee has further developed its relationship with CWU Humanitarian Aid, and hopes to provide participants in future aid missions. 8. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INDUSTRIAL EXECUTIVES A formal link between the Youth Committee and the TFS and PEC was established at Conference 2008, and the Chair and Vice-Chair attend their respective Industrial Executives on an ex officio basis. Work is ongoing to support PEC and TFS organising and recruitment initiatives wherever possible. In particular, the Committee met with Royal Mail s National Diversity and Inclusion Manager in October, and RM s Springboard programme will include a youth strand from early 2016 onwards. Committee members are also actively involved in the TFSE s Regional Organising Committees. Motion 107 from General Conference motion 2014 which (essentially) calls for a mentoring programme for newly elected Branch Youth Officers has been superseded by a union-wide mentoring programme, agreed by the NEC, which will be launched early in The Future CWUYouth faces the most challenging but potentially exciting - period in its history. We are justifiably proud of having the most sophisticated and well developed youth structure of any UK union. Our influence is felt within the TUC, Labour Party, UNi and a host of other organisations. But obstructive acts by employers in the form of late refusals or rescindment of leave and the unwillingness or inability of a minority of branches to identify and support young activists are two specific challenges we must meet. While there is an absolute need for CWU Youth to be effective at engaging, nurturing and delivering our union s leaders in the near and mid-term future, youth activism is sometimes not seen as mainstream or as an end in itself. Both perceptions are self-limiting and need to change. Both within the committee and at HQ, the process of engaging with young members and prospective members to best effect is our top priority. Developments will be shared with BYOs, youth activists and members

16 CWU Youth Conference 2015 Action taken on Motions Adopted Updated: 11 December 2015 Number Motion Action Proposed 1 Conference is concerned that an increasing amount of young members are often employed on part time or fixed term contracts, which do not provide adequate flexibility or security to those on them. Conference is also concerned that those members who are wishing to increase their hours or work on a full time basis, are not given the opportunity to do so despite working for their respective companies for considerable time. Conference therefore instructs the Youth Committee, in conjunction with the relevant industrial executives, to devise an informational guide for members on part time or fixed term contracts, outlining what CWU agreements, company policies and legislation is available to members in such circumstances outlined above and how the union can assist them. This was relayed informally to the DGS(P), DGS(TFS) and with the Head of Research in order to start making progress on production of the guide. There appears to be only a small percentage of the material that is appropriate for both industrial sectors. An updating LTB was issued in December 2 This conference instructs the Youth Committee to campaign through the NEC, the TUC, the Labour Party and other interested bodies to abolish the proposed increases to the state pension age beyond the age of 65. Further than that, this motion instructs the Youth Committee through the NEC to lobby for the Pensions Act 2014 to be amended so it can delete the new pension age thresholds and for the Secretary of State to hold periodic reviews of the pension Age. 3 The Youth Committee is instructed to start a trade union run affordable housing campaign. Working with the NEC, the General Secretary, the Communications Department and other trade unions if possible. This should focus on affordable housing which families and workers on low income and wages can afford. This should focus on Increasing investment in genuinely affordable housing including from government, pension funds and ethical investors. Bringing down the costs of renting from private landlords, increasing security of tenancy and quality. Lifting the restrictions on local government preventing council house building and working with other social landlords to increase the stock of affordable housing available. The campaign is not limited to these points and the youth committee could use other relevant issues that add to the campaign. Bringing down housing costs is one of the best pay rises we could deliver for members. This has been reported to the NEC, the Youth Committee commissioned a detailed paper from the Research Department. This concluded that the terms of the motion cannot be achieved, a view with which the Committee reluctantly concurred. The paper will be revised and published to branches. This was one of the two motions that were selected to be on the agenda of General Conference, where it was composited and adopted. An update on the Housing campaign was circulated to branches as LTB 438/15. Since then, a successful fringe event at Labour Party Conference took place in support of Karen Buck MP s Homes (Fit for Human Habitation) Bill. The Bill received a second reading on 16 October but looks likely to have been talked out and will not therefore be progressed. Campaigning activity continues in support of the

17 The Youth Committee is instructed accordingly. CWU s Homes For All initiative which was officially launched on 21 September. Our submission to London Mayoral Candidate Sadiq Khan s manifesto had an emphasis on housing, which has become the main issue of the campaign. The terms of the motion seems set to be reflected when the manifesto is launched. We have supported a detailed policy document as a means of setting the progressive agenda for the housing debate. This policy document is currently in production and will be supported by various activities when it is launched. 4 Conference believes that Smart Phone Applications are an effective, but under-used way of communicating and organising within CWU s young membership. It therefore agrees that the Youth Committee should investigate and research in conjunction with the Communications Department if such an app would be beneficial to young members, what features any proposed app should have and what mobile platforms should be targeted, with the aim to produce a report with its findings by November Conference agrees that the work of CWU Humanitarian Aid (CWUHA) is both important and inspirational. It believes that links between CWU Youth and CWUHA should be strengthened and therefore instructs the committee to investigate and make arrangements to have a visible CWU Youth presence on the next available CWUHA convoy. Preliminary discussions have taken place on the question of an app, but these were delayed by personnel changes within the Comms Department. It is the intention to progress consideration of smartphone friendly devices and a CWU Youth app will form part of that. The report referred to in the motion will be provided as soon as possible. This has been referred to the CWUHA in February Following some informal discussions, a delegation comprised of the officer, chair and vice chair met with CWUHA to progress the terms of the motion at NYEE15. Unforeseen circumstances meant that this meeting has not yet happened, but it is anticipated that this will be remedied by the date of Youth Conference Conference welcomes the fact that the CWU has become an accredited living wage employer. The CWU must now go further and ensure that the contractors that we use and any other business that the CWU has an interest in are living wage employers. This has been brought to the attention of the NEC, and has been informally adopted as the union s objective

18 The Youth Committee is instructed to lobby the NEC to pursue this policy. 8 Conference notes with concern the ever increasing cost of attending football matches, with ticket price increases generally far exceeding inflation year on year. Conference believes that this means a generation of young people, particularly from working class backgrounds are increasingly being priced out of the game. Football is our national sport, central to local communities and a sport rooted in the working class. At its best it binds communities together and the fans of clubs often espouse the best values of the trade union movement. Conference agrees that it would be a tragedy if young and working class fans were forever priced out of the game. Therefore conference instructs the National Youth Committee to work together with the NEC, Football Supporters Federation and any other appropriate bodies to campaign to improve access to football to young people and those from low income backgrounds. The Living Wage has been adopted as the pay floor for employees at the Elstead Hotel as well as CWU HQ. This motion was relayed to the Football Supporters Federation in February The FSF have said they are very happy to meet with us and discuss how we can work together and a date is currently being sought for a meeting. A meeting with the FSF took place on 30 September to finalise arrangements for a workshop and NYEE15, and to begin consideration for future joint work. A podcast on the relationship between football and CWU work was recorded with Chris Webb and uploaded in October. The FSF is reviewing their entire governance and membership structure with a view to engaging more effectively with trade unions. A further meeting with them is planned for early Conference notes the recent worrying figures from the Princes Trust that a quarter of young people surveyed have contemplated suicide and nearly one in five have self-harmed. Conference notes that for those young people with a job they will spend a large proportion of their life in the work. Conference therefore recognises that: Mental health is a serious concern for our society but also that this is a workplace issue. Our union must be prepared to deal with these issues effectively as and when they arise in the workplace. Therefore conference instructs the Youth Advisory Committee to: Begin a period of research and consultation to produce a short document/pamphlet for young activists in our union to better equip them to better take up these issues in the workplace in a time period the committee deems reasonable. Lobby the NEC to consider: This was one of the motions selected to be submitted to General Conference. The Standing Orders Committee subsequently ruled it out of order. Irrespective of the GCSOC s disappointing decision, a meeting with Samaritans to discuss a national training event took place on 6 March and an setting out proposed event sent to the HSE Department in May. Additionally, a Mental Health Awareness Day took place in Glasgow Skypark site on 25 February, and a blog about it was published on 4

19 In workplaces where there is a recognition agreement to struggle to include terms and conditions that recognise mental health as a workplace issue. In workplaces where we are seeking to win a recognition agreement could include terms and conditions that recognise mental health as a workplace issue. March. CWU moved a motion on Mental Health Awareness at the TUC Young Workers Conference in march. The motion was selected by the conference to go forward to the main TUC Congress in September. A similar motion to the STUC Youth Conference was withdrawn because of the absence of a CWU delegation. The CWU delegation to the TUC Young Workers Forum participated fully in a meeting focussed on Mental Health issues in Manchester on 4 July and TUC advice was eventually published in August ( It was also agreed in August that CWU Youth continue in our efforts to convene a one-day seminar for youth activists on mental health issues, to take place prior to Spring Subsequent discussions with Health, Safety and Environment Department suggested that an alternative approach may yield a better outcome this is a crowded space to operate in!

20 SECTION I INDUSTRIAL ISSUES 1 Conference notes with alarm that sick absences are frequently prolonged by the delays encountered by members in accessing suitable treatment. Due to cuts in funding, NHS appointments are increasingly cancelled at short notice. However, employers do not acknowledge delays caused by events that our members cannot control by stopping the sick leave clock. This has led to many young members being dismissed even after they have received the treatment and they are able to return back to work. Conference therefore agrees that the NYC shall lobby the Industrial Executives to secure the necessary improvements in our agreements to close this loophole. Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester

21 SECTION II NATIONAL ISSUES 2 Conference recognises the need for succession planning within the union s branch structures. Therefore conference instructs the National Youth Committee to work with the NEC to come up with a shadowing scheme allowing younger reps the chance to learn from more senior reps and avoiding holes being left when senior reps leave. National Youth Committee 3 Conference instructs the National Youth Committee to lobby the NEC to develop a union advice service specifically relating to issues affecting members on housing and rent with legal help and advice. National Youth Committee 4 Conference notes with alarm the increasing levels of workplace stress affecting young CWU members. Increasing drive to meet customer demands is leading to an ever increasing work load for our members, and there is no evidence of the pressure decreasing. Conference instructs the national youth committee to lobby the NEC to investigate the main issues of workplace stress and report back any findings. South Wales 5 This conference believes in paying everyone the living wage as a minimum, therefore believe as best practice all Future CWU youth events should be booked at venue s where they pay their staff the living wage, this should also include any group bookings for Accommodation. The Youth Committee is instructed accordingly. Gloucestershire Amal 6 Youth conference would like to thank the NYC for setting up the EU Referendum debate at the previous Education event however due to time limitations and the style of the workshop we believe this limited debate from our activist s. Therefore this conference instructs the NYC to hold an event, separate from the Education Event, as near to the date of the EU referendum as possible. This event should be to promote an open debate amongst our activists on the EU referendum, with Q and A workshops to include both pro and Eurosceptic MP s, MSP s and Welsh Assembly Members. The Youth Committee is instructed accordingly. Great Western 7 Conference instructs the Youth Advisory Committee to lead a CWU campaign on the importance of giving blood and to lobby for and support existing campaigns for a change in the restrictions on who may and may not donate blood in the UK. Tyne and Wear Clerical

22 8 Conference notes with alarm the increasing levels of workplace stress affecting not just CWU members, but people across the UK. Conference believes that a long hours culture is a major contributor to the current unsatisfactory situation. Conference therefore welcomes the developments in Sweden where government action to introduce a 6 hour working day has been taken, with resulting increases in productivity. Current levels of salary would be protected, the only change would be the hours you work, not the salary you earn. Conference instructs the NEC to lobby government for similar changes in the UK. Central Counties and Thames Valley 9 Conference recognises that many young people are turning to alcohol to mask anxiety or depression, or other mental health problems without realising it. In fact according to a survey run by IPOS MORI based on young people s drinking attitudes it can be confirmed that 44% of year olds have a drink to cheer themselves up. According to drinkaware statistics show that more than half (53%) of young people that have an alcoholic drink suffer from low mental health. This is compared to the 36% of young people that have a good level of mental health. Therefore, this conference instructs the National youth committee to make contact with drinkaware and work with them on building a campaign that provides information and raises the awareness amongst our young members about mental health and its association with possible alcohol problems. This could be done through leaflets, social media, The Voice magazine, workshops etc for our young members. Kent Invicta

23 MOTIONS NOT ADMITTED TO THE AGENDA 10 This conference believes that the current the name of the CWU Youth section is unsuitable and patronising. It does not represent both the members and representatives of the CWU under the age of thirty. This conference therefore believes that the CWU Youth should be renamed CWU Young Workers which reflects the identity of our section. The Youth Committee is instructed to draft a model rule change motion in time to be submitted to General Conference 2016 that will enact this change. Once the motion is drafted the Youth Committee is instructed to seek as many branches as possible to submit this model motion to General conference to give it the best chance of getting heard. South West Region Youth Committee 11 This conference recognises the ongoing issue of proportionality of our rep s and in particular the lack of young women getting involved. This can be seen throughout the CWU and we believe that the CWU Youth should now make this a priority for all Region Youth Committee s and the NYC. This conference therefore instructs the NEC to set up a mentoring programme between the NYC and the regional youth committee s to work on an organising project over the next year to encourage more young women to get involved with the CWU Youth. The Youth Committee is instructed accordingly. Bristol and District Amal 12 Conference recognises the hard work of youth officers up and down the country. Unfortunately at this moment in time the majority of youth officers work is carried out in their own personal time. Conference instructs the NYC to lobby the NEC and Industrial Executives to work with the companies in securing release for youth officers to enable them to provide the standard of work the CWU strives towards. National Youth Committee 13 Conference instructs the Youth Committee to lobby the NEC to consult with all employers to ensure that all part time employees are remunerated/rewarded according to their worked hours over a specified period instead of their contracted hours for:- Bonuses Allowances Supplements Holiday pay Bank holiday pay Sick pay Redundancy pay Share allocation

24 This list is not exhaustive and serves as an example of instances where part time employees are losing out due to the common practice of employers only paying out against contract hours. Cheshire No.1 14 Conference recognises that the lower rate of pay for younger workers is determined by the low wage commission. The lower rates of pay are exploitative and mean that many of our colleagues aged are being paid a significant amount less than older employees whilst performing the same work. Conference instructs the National Youth Committee to lobby the NEC and Industrial executives to work with the companies to abolish these degrading rates of pay and give younger workers a fair start to working life as many employers in the UK already have. Midland Region Youth Committee 15 This Conference notes the draconian application of performance management in openreach and the disproportionate number of young workers who resign or are forced out of their jobs because of performance warnings and disciplines. Conference believes that the current performance management processes are particularly unfair for young telecoms workers who not only have less engineering experience but also are still learning and gaining confidence in general work and life skills. This sink or swim approach is a waste of resources for the company, and a waste of the enthusiasm and abilities of young workers. Whilst we believe that the current application of performance management for all new recruits in Openreach is bad, we believe it is worse for many young recruits. We demand that the performance management process for young workers should be urgently reviewed and more supportive coaching and further help with development be introduced. Greater London Combined 16 Conference is aware that young workers who do not hold a valid driving licence are at a disadvantage and are unable to perform or be employed in various roles across the businesses. Conference instructs the National Youth Committee to lobby the NEC and industrial executives to work with the employers to develop a Driving Training program that will train and up skill workers with driving lessons in relevant vehicle categories such as cars, vans and lorries in order for workers to pass applicable driving tests and hold a valid driving licence. South Midlands Postal