New Tory Trick to Force Youth into

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on the verge of poverty, cut- America.

Health Service and education who is trying to undermine and pouring billions of the essential services provided pounds into the purchase of by the local authorities whom nuclear weapons from we elect, and destroy free A SINISTER new method bf forcing young people onto Youth Training Schemes is being pioneered in the Birmingham area. Private training agencies are sending out "mail shots" to 16 and 17 year olds studying at FE colleges under the 21 hour rule (which allows students to claim supplementary benefit so long as their studies take up less than 21 hours per week).

These "mail shots" invite the young person to an interview to "talk about the possible opportunities" supposedly offered by the training centre. The letters do not mention the DHSS policy of cutting benefit by 40% for six weeks in cases where a youth refuses a place on a YTS scheme. -NALGO members in the careers service are refusing to fill in forms on YTS 'refusers' which would then be passed on to the DHSS.

The "mail shots' get round the NALGO action and open up youth to being penalised by the DHSS.

One young woman, studying at Bournville College in Birmingham received a mail shot" from the Mosley Training Centre run by "Midland Training and Recruitment Services". . Her father, an active trade unionist, immediately contacted the agency to demand an explanation.

He was told by a director, Alan Hinton a former BL convenor!) that "all the other agencies are doing it as well" and that the MSC "unofficially approve" of the practice.

He claimed that MTRS had obtained their mailing list from the electoral register -but this explanation won't wash: the electoral register (prior to February 15) does not include most 16 year olds.

So where are they getting their mailing lists from? A lecturer at Bournville College Denham rang the same agency, MTRS, over another student who had received the "mail shot" letter. She was told, over the phone, that they couldn't reveal the source of their mailing list because it cost us a lot of money"!

The most likely source of the list seems to be from somewhere within the careers service.

Or it could be the MSC, desperate to get unfilled YTS places taken up (latest figures confirm that only three-quarters of this year's YTS places are likely to be filled.

Perhaps significantly, Birmingham Education Committee recently voted to instruct careers officers to hand over details of school leavers to the MSC.

But whatever the source of the information, the issues raised by it are very serious. Already, trainees who leave YTS schemes before completion are having their benefit cut, even before the reason leaving has been established.

In one case, a youth left a scheme because he had been told he would be trained in horticulture, and instead had been used to shovel rubbish about on a building site! He had his benefit cut as a result.

Birmingham YTS Action Group, together with the Unemployed Centre, are launching a campaign on this issue, and will be cooperating closely with the proposed national "Campaign Against Compulsion".

April 5 Campaign Against Compulsion' day of action to protest against young people being forced onto the YTS No.167 TONY BENN said last week in Chesterfield. ting back on the National "It is the Prime Minister who is destroying the hopes of the youngsters who are on the dole, keeping pensioners Pages 4 and 5: Health Fightback 84. resisting the cuts.

Centre pages. The Tories' pla to run down the railways.

Page 6: Inside Lebanon. DANGER Pages 14 and 15: Polmaise Hospital closures closure, BLOC conference. ahead!

It is the Prime Minister trade unionism, which is the tun An ..li. first line of defence of working people and their families.

Chesterfield has a tremendous responsibility to all those whose lives are being ruined by the cruel and divisive policies now being pursued by the Tories"

Benn appealed to labour movement acuvises to come manamant antiniato ta to Chesterfield and help give the Tories a bloody nose.

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Organiser February no.167 Page

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ORGA CONSCRIPT LABOU to Chesterfield!

THIC Exclusive JOHN HARRIS Ches