In the CWU and under 30?
Young members are the future of the union.
Without younger members getting involved many of the gains made by the Union will disappear if no one is there to fight for them.
Of course, some of the concerns of the CWU might not be your concerns? How many young people are local reps? Just how old is the leadership of the CWU? Do they really have a clue what the priorities of younger members are?! Does the Western Counties Branch?!
Nationally, there is a Youth Advisory Committee and regionally the South west has its own committee.
Question is, do you have any idea what it does?!
How can you change things to reflect what you as a younger member want from the CWU?
Luke Mason is the Branch Youth Officer. He is also the local union rep at Cullompton Delivery Office and he can be contacted on 07870 582781 and mrlukemason@hotmail.com
The CWU produce an interactive Youth Magazine. Get your email into CWUHQ and you will be on the mailing list. If nothing else it is worth seeing what’s there?
That’s not all though. Get involved in the debates and issues. Find out what’s going on via:
Main web site: www.cwuyouth.org
Also -
You can also download fortnightly pods from www.cwuyouth.com
Check it out and see for yourself. There is a whole debate going on that is and will affect you at some point. Where next for the Royal Mail? Climate change? Anti BNP campaigns? The problems of affordable housing? etc etc
Finally, if you want to get more involved in the Union then talk to Luke and also
email Jo Thair at CWUHQ at youth@cwu.org
Saturday 26th March..........
Our Branch Youth Officer Luke Mason represented the Branch at the huge March for the Alternative on the 26th March.
His report , well worth reading, is as follows -
we left Alvescot lodge at 8am on a coach bound for London. I'd been on a union skills 1 course for the week (excellent week and great learning facility). We were on a coach made up of CWU staff and members, people who staffed the education facility, and activists from the local area. I really didn't know what to expect from the day, I've never been on a demo before. I've only been to London a few times, I'm from Devon - narrow lanes, fields, cows.
We got off the coach and proceeded to the assembly point at Blackfriars Bridge, there was a great atmosphere. People giving out flyers and newspapers for their various causes. Loads of people were dressed. There was already music playing and whistles and horns blaring. I assembled with the rest of the CWU, it was great to get together as a unit and there was an amazing turnout. With many sections of the union flying their banners. It was a sight to behold and good to catch up with some familiar faces. We look so strong united. With us and all of the other unions standing together it was an amazing sight to behold. At around 2 o clock i was relieved from banner carrying duties by Sam Currie - thanks Sam I know you needed a leak but i had to go!
My brother and a friend were ahead on the march - they had gotten a coach from Exeter with Unite. Just to make up the numbers. One is a builder the other front of house at a restaurant. You don't have to be a union member to want to fight the cuts. With hundreds of other groups represented. I saw police federation members. Nurses in uniform. Loads of families, it was like a carnival. The noise was amazing, as I moved along the march soundsystems were playing all sorts - from dubstep and reggea, to The Beatles and The Clash. Steel drummers were kicking out fantastic tunes and loads of people were dancing. I stopped in a bar for a pint and a pee. They had Sky news on in the bar i saw people in black hoods and masks raiding an HSBC. Two anarchists, followed by four reporters - Agenda from the media perhaps???
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I met my brother and buddy outside the Ritz, which was on the march route. It had been vandalised by black bloc protesters, paint bombed and broken windows. Nothing they can't afford to fix. It was heavily policed at that point. I had checked facebook while waiting and UK Uncut had announced that their secret target, which was the tax-dodging foodstore Fortnam and Masons. I think they are an inspirational group and their peaceful protests symbolise what the working class think of the Con-Dems horrific attack on our jobs and public services.
We stuck around outside, chatting to the crowd and taking it all in. We realised we were slowly being kettled and there was a sudden mad rush of people, the police had moved down the street forcefully but as far as i could see without violence. This was i now realise to ensure space outside Fortnam and Masons to allow the occupation to end and arrest the brave unmasked UK Uncut protesters. Any time I had seen people vandalising things there were shouts of "shame on you, shame on you." From the crowd.
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From that point on it seemed to be absolute chaos, at one point police lines were broken and a group of policemen were apparently kettled. I felt for those guys as they were very restrained in an extremely high pressure situation. On the frontline of the crowd i saw very little face to face violence - although lots of things were being thrown. Bouncing off the police line. I don't agree with violence against the police. They're not the enemy they are just workers like you and I, but they can't strike, they can't just walk away when the clock strikes five. Some of those guys were very sympathic to the anti-cuts movement, Let's face it, it's their jobs next. The battle of Picaddilly apparently, but most of the arrests were of the peaceful protesters inside Fortnam and Masons. Credit to UK Uncut. Shame about the violence of the minority, but it's a seperate issue from the 500'000 strong crowd that marched through London to say: NO TO CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES, NO TO ATTACKS ON OUR JOBS AND PENSIONS, NO TO ATTACKS ON THE POOR AND THE DISABLED, AND NO TO THE CON-DEM GOVERNMENT.
Luke Mason
Branch Youth Officer, Western Counties Branch
