You know, some people may start to think I’m developing an obsession with the Puppies & Pillows Brigade (I really should think of a better name for them, but it does for now) but, despite coming out with fuckwitted things I strongly disagree with, they might be onto a winner with this one.
Tom Miller, he of NewerLabour (he’s more left wing than the title sounds), has put this as his most recent post:
“Support the compass youth campaign for an equal minimum wage, also supported by USDAW.”
Further investigation on the Compass Youth blog brought this to my attention:
“We’re planning an event to launch the campaign for a single minimum wage with no discrimination against young workers on October 10th.
Of course, this was posted on August 7th, and the blog itself hasn’t been updated since then, which makes me skeptical over Compass Youth’s ability to mount a serious, effective campaign over age rates. In fact, this is the third such campaign that I know of; the Young GMB’s campaign a couple of years ago (when I was a member of the GMB’s National Young Members Advisory Committee), and the current (though sadly abstract) “Supersize My Pay” campaign run by my former comrades of REVOLUTION.
The trouble is that, while such campaigns are worthwhile (and nessicary), they have all been run in the abstract. Neither the GMB nor REVO have attempted to pull in wider forces. Compass Youth’s star signing - USDAW - is a positive step, though I am skeptical of Compass’ ability to provide active leadership (as opposed to passive leadership - passive lobbying, letter writing; as opposed to direct action, agitation, etc) which is nessicary in such campaigns.
What we need is a united campaign - a united front. Let’s talk…
Isn’t the fact that their “star signing” is a fucking atrocious, hyper-Blairite bosses’ union that fucks over its members whenever it can a bit indicative of the type of campaign this is going to be?
Sorry Kit, Totally off topic but at Team Stroppyblog we have dedicated a post to you re: the delicious darling of dance….. Kylie.
Enjoy!!
Aw sheesh Kit, thanks. Yeah, we are open for more people to come on board with this, but more likely after we’ve had our launch event and laid out the case either way. I think this argument wins itself. Compass are also supporting a rise to a living wage in their new pamphletty bookish thing, ‘the good society’.
The problem with Compass is that we don’t all balieve the same stuff, so camapaigning can be difficult. yet, that pluralism is also our strength, and plays in contrast to Blairism! generally though, we agree that
1) there is no reason to treat the young any differently to the old, and that this is an issue of justice
2) Globalisation may be unstoppable, or not… regardless, the left must respond to ‘levelling down’ by ‘levelling up’.
USDAWs politics don’t really worry us. we would like to involve anyone who is interested in running a similar campaign, because what matters is the objective. We might just bring GMB on board. USDAW are an obvious choice with so many young workers in their sector though.
The name means that:
1)Modernisation should belong to the left. this is not the 1980s, and we are not meant to be thatcherites.
2)Also, it should truly rest on new solutions. this is not the 1980s, we need not be Bennites, nor relive our defeats.
3) This postmodernist/poststructuralist claptrap about values all being relative, no right and left etc… well it has to go, doesn’t it? It makes no sense. Aren’t we all a bit past that now?
Cheers for de-fuckwitting me by the way. Will keep you updated on the campaign, we’re about to redo our blog and start publishing frequently.
BTW, forgive my ignorance, but are you an AWLer?
Can someone explain to me why it is that the lower minimum wage rate for young people is still legal now the Age Discrimination Act has come into force?
Pu simply, we don’t know if it is. it’s yet to be tested in court. Courts may call it by what it is, or they may decide to go down the road of ‘pay by experience’.
In my legal opinion, that would be the wrong decision, because the intention of parliament is clearly that there is a ‘minimum wage’; not a mandatory pay scale.
But then, remember that judges find ways to piss off socialists. I just read ‘politics of the judiciary’, and am gripped by the legal impotence of working people and democratically elected lawmakers.