Tower Hamlets, London

Scan page 13

CONTACTS Information in this supplement has come from publications from: Labour Research Department, Birmingham Trade Youthaid, 9 Poland St, London W1. Up-to-date information about all aspects of youth employment/unemployment Birmingham TURC, 7 Frederick St, Birmingham, have a YTS action group, a trainees' group, and a lot of very useful Labour Research Department, 78 Blackfriars Rd, London SE1 8HF, produces a monthly journal which covers YTS, and occasional YTS 'specials' which are SEAN Ryan is a 17 year old trainee on a scheme run by the Urban Studies Centre in East London.

He is the TGWU ACTSS shop steward for this recently unionised scheme. His scheme is considered one of the best in Tower Hamlets by local trade unionists involved in monitoring.

How big is your scheme, and kind of training do you do?

There are 17 of us altogether.

The training is meant to be in community work like looking Union Resources Centre, and Youthaid.

Contacts.

pamphlets and YTS knowledge.

extremely good. after elderly people -- but many of us are doing ordinary jobs for community organisations. like working in bookshops or secretarial work.

I've had two placements so far. The first was with a group which visited elderly people to help them with various problems.

The first week I was taken round a a number of elderly people and introduced to them. then atter that I was left to myself. I was supposed to visit each person to do any odd jobs that needed doing for them. but 1 found that most of the people on my list no longer remembered me and would not let me in.

I was given no help or guidance on how to approach elderly people.

After that I was moved to a Methodist Mission to do work fixing bathrooms. This involved carpentry and tiling, skills ! already had from previous jobs. Today I was up on the root filling in cracks. This would be done by proper workmen, but they're too mean to pay them.

Where do you do your job training?

At the Urban Studies Centre in Bethnal Green. We are all there on Wednesdays. Some of us are studying for City & Guilds exams in community studies.

I understand your scheme 'tops up' your money and that you were given contracts of employment.

Yes. We get £32.49 a week. but it's still not enough to survive on. Most of us live at home and give f10 or £15 a week to our parents. After you have spent £5 or f6 a ireck on fares. you don't have much left for buying clothes or going out enjoying yourself.

The contract of employment seemed to be a good thing. but has caused us problems. Because we were trainees the MSC said it was up the Urban Studies Centre to pay our fares. Recently we heard that they had changed their minds. but we still haven't received anything yet. with housing benefit. Most of us want to get our own places, but because we are 'employed' we can't get full housing benefit. Bed sit rents are high, and none of us wants to take a place only to find we only get a fraction of the rent in housing benefit.

How did your scheme get unionised?

Peter, who runs our scheme, encouraged us to join a union and arranged for two people from the Centre for the Unemployed to give us a talk on trade unions.

They got us to clect two reps and organise a meeting for the following week. All but one of us joined at that meeting, and the other person, who wasn't sure about joining, decided to join this week.

Some of us wanted to go on strike on Democracy Day, but we weren't organised in time. I think most of us will support any action like that in the future, though.

You said you had worked before going on YTS. What kind of things did you do?

I worked casually as a labourer, a window cleaner, and in a clothes factory. On all of these l was taking home between £60 and £70 a week, and up to £90 with overtime. Much better than on YTS.

I've got friends now only £30 or £40.

Scan page 14

Socialist Organiser no.174 April Page