Wages not based on ages
Save our NHS
Get Involved in the GMB North West & Irish Young Members !
Are you a GMB member under 30 ? Want to make your voice heard and campaign on issues affecting young people at work and in society ?
The GMB Young Members Network is run by and for young members to discuss and campaign on young workers issues and help build young membership and activism in the GMB .
So what kind of issues are GMB North West & Irish Young Members campaigning on ?
Wages not based on ages
On the 1st April 2016 the Government brought in a new ‘ National Living Wage ’ which legally requires employers to pay workers £ 7.20 an hour . Any rise in wages is supported , however this so-called living wage not only pays far less than the £ 10 per hour real living wage workers need , it also only applies to workers aged 25 and over .
This means that currently young workers aged 18-24 who do the same work as their over 25 colleagues can be paid between 3 % and 23 % less for it . Young workers under 25 still have to struggle with the same living costs as over 25s , with low pay leading many to become trapped in in-work poverty and struggle to afford living in a home of their own , look after family or socialise with friends .
Save our NHS
In December 2016 young members campaigned with Keep Our NHS Public ( KONP ) on stopping nearly £ 1 billion worth of cuts to NHS Merseyside services under the Sustainability and Transformation Plans ( STP ).
After successful lobbying and a demonstration outside the Liverpool City Council meeting discussing STP we are pleased to say that it has been rejected by the council ’ s Health and Wellbeing Board .
On March 4th we will be joining KONP and campaigners from across the labour movement for the national demonstration against NHS cuts , closures and privatisations in London , marching from Tavistock Square to Parliament .
Look out for updates and coverage on the day on our social media pages ! A link to KONP ’ s demonstration FB page is here : https :// www . facebook . com / events / 1771664639725061 /
The National Living Wage also puts workers over 25 at risk of discrimination when finding a job . Under this new ‘ living wage ’, they could lose out on a job through employers being able to substitute them for the cheaper cost of hiring workers under 25 .
GMB is calling for a real living wage of £ 10 an hour for all workers , regardless of age . You can follow our campaign on Twitter at @ 10PoundNOW and the hashtag # WagesNotBasedOnAges .
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