As youth unemployment tops 1 million join youth fight for jobs and the jarrow march to demand jobs

In Japan they call them freeters, an amalgamation of "freelance" and the German word for workers arbeiter. The Tunisians opt for hittistes, a slang Arabic phrase which roughly translates as people who lean against walls. In Britain we prefer NEETs, the term we use to describe the depressingly swelling ranks of our young who are not in education, employment or training.

But whatever you call them and wherever you are, the youth unemployment time bomb is ticking and in Britain there are few signs of things getting better.

Today the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will release the latest employment figures from the past three months, with most analysts expecting the number of under-24s out of work to pass the one million mark for the first time since the early 1990s.

According to the figures covering May to July this year, unemployment among under-24s officially stood at 973,000, but the growing belief among some economists is that over the past three months – with scores of new graduates flooding into the job market over the summer – the figures might have risen by as much as 90,000 taking them into seven figures for the first time since 1993. For the pessimists it heralds a return to two decades ago when the young were hit disproportionately hard and suffered for years afterwards.

Young people are feeling desperate and hopeless unfortunatly as a result of this long term unemployment.
The Jarrow march 2011 which is backed by 8 national trade unions which is no small feet at all including
RMT, PCS, UNITE, UCU, FBU, BECTU,CWU, TSSA
is trying to do something to raise awareness and hope for young people. The march which Has recieved big backing all the way so far. You can keep up to date with the march as it winds itself down the country at :
www.jarrowmarch11.com
and on our twitter page @youthfight4jobs for updates.

With youth unemployment set to fly over the 1 million mark whenofficial figures are announced this week, the worst unemployment since the early 90s, the Tories have decided to attack young unemployed people marching to London and following in the tradition of the 1936 Jarrow March. Robert Goodwill the Tory MP who has been quoted in the press saying the marchers were not fit to follow in the footsteps of the 1936 marchers is the same MP who’s constituency has the highest unemployment in the North East and who has claimed £145,387 in the expenses scandal. In contrast Stephen Hepburn, the MP for Jarrow has declared support of the new Jarrow March against youth unemployment and the cuts.

Stephen Hepburn MP for Jarrow said:

“I am delighted these young people are highlighting the pressing issue of unemployment in the UK. The government need to respond positively and not be arrogant and shut the door in their face” Stephen Hepburn MP has also accepted an invitation to speak onthe last day of the Jarrow March on the 5th November which is being organised as a national demonstration.

Matt Dobson – Unemployed from Dundee said:

“As a long term unemployed layabout I will be joining the Jarrow March to London organised by Youth Fight for Jobs.

On 17 October I’ll be abandoning my feckless lifestyle to join the march in Leicester after a seven hour train journey from Scotland. I’ll just have to tape Jeremy Kyle for a couple of weeks!

I am sure myself and Robert Goodwill will have a lot in common. I can explain what is like to live in one room when you are too young to receive the full amount of housing benefit for a flat. He can describe his 250 acre country estate which I’ve no doubt is very stressful to manage.

This year as to raise the ideas and contiousness of people out thre and to comemorate the 75 year anniversary of the original Jarrow Crusade Yought Fight For jobs are recreating this march in their fore fathers footsteps.

This summer our streets exploded with the fury and frustration of young people who have had their future torn away from them. These new Jarrow marchers are offering an organised alternative, with clear demands and a determination to link up with organised workers in trade unions.

The Jarrow March will end in London with a mass demonstration on 5 November, assembling at Temple Embankment at 12 noon.

We will hand in a petition to Downing Street as we pass.
demanding :
■A massive government scheme to create jobs which are socially useful and apprenticeships which offer guaranteed jobs at the end – both paying at least the minimum wage, with no youth exemptions.
■The immediate reinstatement of EMA payments, expanding them to be available to all 16-19 year olds.
■The immediate re-opening of all youth services that have been closed, including reinstating sacked staff.
■The scrapping of ‘workfare’ schemes – benefits should be based on need not forced slave labour.
■A massive building programme of environmentally sound, cheap social housing.

We will then have a rally in Trafalgar Square

Speakers include:

■Jarrow Marchers,
■Bob Crow – RMT General Secretary,
■Matt Wrack- FBU General Secretary,
■Paul Murphy- MEP (Socialist Party Ireland),
■Lizi Gray- Descendent of 1936 Marcher,
■Stephen Hepburn- Jarrow MP,
■Young Deacon- Rapper (performing his track about the riots called ‘Failed by the System’),
■Ed Marsh- NUS (VP Union Development),
■Day-Mer Youth Speaker.

please join us and give us your backing as these people are not how the media like to portray them they have feelings and real hopes and ambitions in life.
lets not loose a generation of young people to the scrap heap again.

links, quotes and snipets taken from
www.jarrowmarch11.com
with special thanks to youth fight for jobs for organising this and to Matt Dobson for the quotes !