Young people occupy a unique position in society. They face both formal and informal discrimination, as well as disproportionate social and political exclusion. They are often the first to be hit by, and are more affected by, homelessness and the housing crisis, violence, poverty, social exclusion, attacks on workers and students and other social problems.
At the end of 2012, Geelong averaged 4 comrades selling on a weekly basis. As a result of this our average hours were 7 hours a week, and we were averaging 18 sales a week. Rather than looking at ways those comrades could sell more papers, we began to look at ways of increasing the participation rate of the branch in Green Left Weekly selling, in other words getting more comrades out on the streets on a regular basis.
At a special conference in February this year, Resistance: Socialist Youth voted to dissolve itself as an independent youth organization, and to reform as the youth wing of the Socialist Alliance.
Deakin Uni student activist Sarah Hathway argues that free tertiary education can be provided for via a progressive taxation system that sees the individually wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of tax.
The Fair Work Commission’s decision comes at a time when wage growth in the private sector is at an all-time low.
The ABCC: When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
The government is setting up the next generation of workers to fail while the right-wing press victimises young job seekers when they do fail, or for getting frustrated at a system that is clearly broken.
There are many issues facing young people in or entering the workplace that impact not just on young people but on the broader working class as well. Most young people enter the workforce with no knowledge of legal working conditions, which makes it difficult if not impossible for young workers to speak up when issues in the workplace arise.
At Geelong's Walk Together rally on October 25, Labor's shadow immigration minister Richard Marles told the crowd Labor would “welcome” refugees.
Radical Ideas is a 3-day conference of discussion, debate and ideas for radical change, from December 4-6 in Sydney. The conference will feature a number of special guest speakers, including well-known campaigners involved in various social and environmental movements.
The deepening crisis of capitalism and the political polarisation that results makes the task of raising socialist solutions all the more urgent. Socialist Alliance continues our non-sectarian approach to building the movements and campaigns of resistance.
A shake up is needed so that young workers can not only receive a fair wage, but also so they can see the relevance of unions in fighting for their rights at work.