ANNUAL REPORT 2011
COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS’ UNION YOUTH COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT 2011
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INTRODUCTION By the beginning of 2011, the Youth Committee had only two members. During the previous year, the small group of five or so members had further reduced due to emigration and people moving on from their jobs to other areas. It became clear that a completely new approach was needed if the Youth Action Group, as it was called at the time, was to survive the year. New, enthusiastic faces were required to revitalise this nearly defunct project. It was decided that a Youth Open Day would be organised with a view to inviting young members from across the Union to find out about the Youth Committee in particular and the Union in general. It was decided that the greatest draw to potential Activists would be a training event combined with activities designed to encourage discussion and involvement. A circular was sent to all Branches asking each Branch Secretary to nominate at least one young member. Sadly, as many of you will know, there are plenty of Branches where there are simply no members under 35. With this in mind, the two surviving members of the group were tasked with attending the Union’s Spring Seminar. A stall was set up with the idea of directly asking each delegate to provide a name of someone who would attend. OPEN DAY, MAY 2011 The planned Open Day took place on 20th May 2011 in Mandate’s excellent training facility. There was a great turn out on the day, with no seats left unfilled. Young members came from across to the country and there was a good mix from both the postal and telecoms sectors. The day started with a brief outline of the structure of the Union and how it operates, together with information on the role of Activists and Branch Officers. A very positive sign on the day was the high proportion of young members who had recently been elected to their Branch Committees for the first time, and this training in particular was felt to be very useful. The afternoon was more interactive with participants encouraged to identify issues that they felt affected young people at work and in society in general. A lively discussion followed covering a broad range of topics. The members ended the day in enthusiastic form and there was a real sense of optimism. I would particularly like to thank Willie Mooney of the NEC for his participation on the day. The next step was to keep the momentum going and to engage with those who attended to keep them actively involved.
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COMMITTEE MEETINGS During the year, the Committee held several meetings in various locations. It was clear that the Union’s temporary accommodation was not suitable and other venues were tested. On two occasions, meetings were conducted by conference call. In the interest of inclusivity, the latest meeting was held in Portlaoise to allow for members outside Dublin to attend. The attendance at this meeting was excellent. It remains to be seen what form these meetings will take once Head Office returns to its original home in North Circular Road. Meetings throughout the year covered a vast array of topics, from the future of the Committee to their plans going forward; and from campaigns to training. COMMUNICATIONS One aspect of building a stronger Committee was identified very early. It was acknowledged that good communications were absolutely vital. In response to this a Youth Committee Facebook page was created. The Youth were given a page on the CWU’s website, a Youth Newsletter was started, and emails and general communications improved greatly. The Committee were encouraged to increase their use of the online resources. This has happened, with an increase in activity across the board. The last few months have seen a surge in Facebook activity by members, discussing topical issues and debating youth and workplace related matters. Several excellent articles have appeared in the last few issues of Connect and it is hoped that the regular Youth Committee pages will continue to contain articles written by Committee members to raise their profile amongst the membership. Overall, communications across the board have improved and hopefully will continue to improve. CAMPAIGNS During the year the Youth Committee discussed and committed to several campaigns: In the summer the situation facing Rigney Dolphin/Vodafone workers was raised and the Committee gave their full support to the affected staff. Members of the Committee attended a protest outside Croke Park on Sunday the 26th June 2011. A report on this protest appeared in Connect and further raised awareness amongst the membership of the Youth Committee’s activities. As part of the Protect the Lowest Paid campaign, it was suggested that the Committee look at the activities of the Quick Food Service Alliance. These are
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the owners and operators of fast food restaurants throughout the country which, despite often being extremely profitable organisations, are spearheading the attacks on vital JLCs (Joint Labour Committees) that protect the interest of some of the lowest paid workers in the country. All members committed to looking further into this issue. On several occasions, members of the Committee raised the issue of the government’s Work Placement Programme (WPP). Concerns were raised by some members about the dangers of internships and the possible consequences for paid employment etc. It was conceded that there are individuals who have benefited from this type of scheme but questions were asked about the level of protection in place for interns and their paid counterparts. As this could be a contentious issue, it was agreed that members would look into it for themselves before deciding if it was an issue to pursue. Several other campaigns have been identified and will be looked into in more detail. It is worth noting that 2011 was about building a coherent and dedicated Committee; about getting activists trained and improving confidence. It is hoped that 2012 will see some tangible, practical moves by the Committee into campaigning on issues that affect young people. ACTION PLAN The Youth Committee have an Action Plan in place to facilitate and encourage activism. The purpose of the Action Plan is to act as a framework for future campaigns and to help define the goals of the Committee. Throughout 2011, members submitted suggestions and ideas for the Action Plan and these have been discussed by the Committee at various times. A revised version was agreed following the Committee meeting on 19th July 2011. It was agreed that the document should be updated as necessary. From the Action Plan came many action points that the group committed to following through. Some, though not all, of these include: Completed action points Increase use of Youth Facebook page/ website Make themselves available on Sunday 26th to support Vodafone campaign Support Protect Lowest Paid campaign – visit site Write/ prepare articles for Journal/ Website/ Newsletter Communicate with other members of Youth Committee directly to bolster new committee
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Suggest suitable meeting venues/ times Contribute articles/ reports for Facebook/ Newsletter/ web. In particular contribute pieces for Connect Continue use of online media, including discussions on Facebook Look into various campaign topics and assess if suitable for Youth Committee Return Committee Training forms, where appropriate Promote the Facebook page to young members in Branch/ Section Participate (when possible) in a Youth Committee capacity in demonstrations around austerity/ the budget
Some recently agreed action points include: Prepare suggested Motions to Conference Discuss Youth Committee Standing Orders Consider role profile of suggested Branch ‘Youth Officers’ Any suggestions/ comments on ICTU high-level group on Youth to Head Office, to be passed to ICTU Contribute to a report to the National Executive Council on the work of the Youth Committee in 2011 Consider and discuss options for Youth Committee Summer School; possible speakers, topics, etc ADDITIONAL TRAINING Training is an ongoing need for the Youth Committee and should be seen as a priority. It is through training and education that future Activists will be developed. Throughout the year many topics were covered under training, including: • • • •
The Structure of the Union Organising Presentation Skills Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures
The Youth Committee have so far discussed Health & Safety and/ or Negotiation training for the next sessions. Other suggestions include Public Speaking and further Grievance and Disciplinary training. It is also suggested that the Youth Committee arrange a Youth Summer School in 2012 which could incorporate presentations, training and workshops for young CWU members and this is yet to be agreed.
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TRAINING EVENT, OCTOBER 2011 On the 4th and 5th of October 2011 the Youth Committee attended a two day training event in IBOA House in Dublin. The Committee had previously agreed to hold the Presentation Skills training first to build confidence for the second day, which was to cover Grievance and Disciplinary procedures. The Presentation Skills module was delivered by an external trainer and was considered to be very useful, but perhaps geared more towards a corporate/ business model. It has been suggested that future courses be geared more toward public speaking. All in all, the day was extremely constructive and informative, and demonstrated to participants the importance of good presentation skills. The second day covered Grievance and Disciplinary procedures. This was delivered by Head Office trainers and managed to cover a lot of ground in one day. It was generally felt that this module was a great success. It was through the engagement of the Committee over both days that the training event was so successful. ICTU YOUTH [and YOUTH CONNECT PROJECT] Throughout the year several enquiries have been made regarding the status of ICTU’s Youth Committee. It emerged that ICTU Youth was on a hiatus and a high-level discussion group has been constituted to settle on the future format of an ICTU Youth Committee. ICTU has determined to work out a practical and in-depth report into youth activity and methods to encourage it. The outcome of this report should coincide with the re-instatement of ICTU Youth. Fiona Dunne from ICTU gave a presentation on the Youth Connect project at the November Committee meeting. This is an initiative being undertaken by Congress whereby trained graduates visit second level schools throughout the country to give an education and training module on trade unions and industrial relations to 4th, 5th and 6th year students. The project is aimed at tackling the growing disconnect between the trade union movement and young people in Ireland. Since September Fiona and the other full-time trainers have visited approximately 75 schools, the vast majority of which were extremely receptive. The project has been welcomed and the work will continue with more full-time trainers coming on board to service schools on a regional basis. There are a range of resources available to teachers and students, including a training guide for use in teaching the module in schools, videos and brochures, and there is a website which is in the final stages of
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development. The project is partly funded through the sale of a student discount card. The overall goal of the project is to have eight full-time ‘Champions’ and for each second level school to have an annual trade union day. Fiona is also seeking to have the current industrial relations section of the education curriculum amended. Finally, this initiative will hopefully be extended to include third level institutions and young workers. BIENNIAL CONFERENCE, MAY 2012 It was agreed that the Youth Committee AGM be brought forward to January 2012 to allow discussion of Motions before Branch AGMs take place in late January/ early February. A discussion took place on what the role of the Youth Committee at Conference would be. It was suggested that the stall be set up as usual with information about the Youth Committee and its work since May 2011. The Committee will discuss in detail at the AGM their thoughts on their involvement at Conference 2012.
Fionnuala Ní Bhrógáin Organiser CWU Head Office
Proposer
Seconder
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