• Nigel Danby, year olds. This has CPSA North Humberside ES Branch (personal capacity) A s Treasury Minister, John Major oversaw the withdrawal of benefit as more and more rights for 16 and 17 young people have lost their entitlement forced thousands of to benefits. Students young people onto the can no longer sign on streets rather than during their holidays, stay at home and be even though grants subjected to physical are being cut. Those and emotional abuse. in full-time education As Prime Minister, can no longer clalm Major has looked on housing benefit. Those doing part-time college courses are often harassed off the unemployment register. This Increasingly makes further and higher education the preserve of a privileged few. In October 1996, the Tories plan to replace Unemployment Benefit and Income Support stances. Many young people lack work experience or aren't sure what kind of job they want - not surprising when there are so few jobs about. Naturally, a lot of them leave their lobs voluntarily. With the best will in the world, sometimes things Just don't work out. JSA will mean that If you leave a job voluntarily or get the sack, you won't get any benefit for the first two weeks of your claim. And if - like most young people -you haven't got children, you won't be able to apply for a hardship payment. About 70,000 people - most of them under 24 - will have no source of Income at all, even though for the unemployed they're signing on. Of with a single beneflt - course, a lot of them Job Seekers Allow- won't bother signing ance (JSA). Again, on If they can't get young people will be any benefit. So the Toespeclally hard hit. rles wlll be able to say Those aged 18-24 that the unemploy. face cuts in their bene- ment figures have fit of between 20 and fallen again. 60 per cent, depend- A short article like ing on their circum- this can only scratch the surface of the effects of the JSA. As Job Centre workers, my colleagues and me will be at the sharp end of the Tories' latest attack on ordinary people. That's why I decided to take part In the local Trade UnIon Council's campaign against Job Seekers' Allowance. We aim to increase awareness of the effects of JSA for different groups of workers and to play a key role in any campaigning activity in the Yorkshire area. Young or old, in work or not, the Tories' plans for the welfare state are an attack on us all.
Get Active! Contact Nigel Danby, TU side office, Crosskill House, Job Centre, Mill Lane, Beverly, East Yorks, HU17 7NH. Please mark your envelope "in confidence'.