Young People in the Workplace
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-1074, in the name of Cathy Peattie, on young people in the workplace.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that young people are making a significant contribution to economic development and social progress in Scotland; notes that younger people often experience poorer job security, pay and conditions of employment and are significantly more likely to be injured in the workplace than older workers; recognises that trade unions play a vital role in protecting and training young people, contributing to a safer working environment in all workplaces and promoting and supporting the learning and skills development of young people; recognises the important role of trade union bargaining on issues such as apprenticeship schemes and workforce training, for example at Ineos in Grangemouth where, as part of the wage deal, apprentices are guaranteed employment on completion of their apprenticeships, and commends all those involved in the Unions into Schools Project, funded by the previous Scottish Executive and now the Scottish Government, which works in schools to ensure an understanding of the contribution made by trade unions.
I welcome trade unionists young and old to the gallery tonight and members in the chamber who have stayed for this debate. I also thank the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the individual unions that have contributed to trade union week in the Parliament.
There are almost 400,000 young workers in Scotland, and they make a significant contribution to our economic development and social progress. Across Europe, 18 to 24-year-olds are at least 50 per cent more likely to be hurt at work than older people. Young people are also more likely to suffer from occupational illness. In Britain, every 12 minutes of every working day, a worker aged between 16 and 24 suffers a reportable workplace injury requiring more than three days off work; every 40 minutes, a young worker is seriously injured; and every month, there is a fatality.
Fatal and major injuries are on the increase. For example, a couple of years ago, Falkirk Football Club was fined £4,000 after the death of 17-year-old apprentice player Craig Gowans, who was electrocuted when training equipment that he was carrying touched an overhead cable. Since then, Falkirk FC has employed health and safety consultants and has carried out risk assessments of any locations where its employees are working. Such a move is welcome—but it should be the norm, not just a response.
Around 50,000 young Scottish workers are only 16 or 17 years old. Although they have little previous experience of work, they can be placed straight from school into most jobs to face most hazards. They are more likely to be in a first job, in a new job, or in an insecure or temporary job. All young people are especially vulnerable in the workplace.
Young workers are killed or injured not because they play around or because they are immature, but because of inexperience. Whatever their age, the newer that someone is to a job, the more likely they are to be injured. Young workers are less likely than older workers to recognise the risk of accidents or ill health and even if they do they are less likely to be able to take appropriate action. They are at the bottom of the pecking order, with little influence, power or knowledge of workplace culture and rights, and that can be a dangerous combination at the start of someone's working life. If we add to those young workers the half a million school students who go on work placements every year and the quarter of a million on apprenticeship schemes, we see that a lot of young people are facing a lot of risks in a lot of workplaces.
A Trades Union Congress survey in 2000 suggested that many employers were not doing enough to protect young workers. For example, 37 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds had received no health and safety training, despite a legal duty on employers to provide such training.
Young workers might work fewer hours and are supposed to be protected from a range of risks, but many of them are involved in trades such as construction and agriculture, or work in warehouses. Health and Safety Executive statistics show that although many types of accidents affect all ages, young people have the highest risk of injury by object or by moving machinery.
By playing a vital role in protecting and training young people, trade unions contribute to a safer working environment in workplaces and promote and support learning for and the skills development of young people. Trade unions play an important role in bargaining on issues such as apprenticeship schemes and workforce training. For example, as part of a wage deal, at INEOS in Grangemouth in my constituency, apprentices are guaranteed employment when they complete their apprenticeships. I think that that is important.
It is important to raise awareness in young people before they enter the workplace. For many young people, work experience is their first contact with the workplace. They will be limited in what they can do but, even at that stage, it is important to raise their awareness of issues that they will face in their working lives. The unions into schools project works in schools to ensure that pupils have an understanding of the work that trade unions do by representing workers and fighting for safer and better working conditions. This evening's motion recognises the contribution that trade unions and the unions into schools project have made to ensuring that young people have a clearer idea of what they will face in the workplace. I recognise and praise that work; long may it continue.
I take great pleasure in participating in the debate. As some members will know, I have a long-standing commitment to fighting from within the trade union movement. Over the past 10 years, I have fought on behalf of people—especially young people—who have faced injustice in respect of their employment rights.
I welcome the work that the Scottish Trades Union Congress and individual unions have done in campaigning for young people's rights in the workplace, and the work that is being done in schools to make young people aware of their rights before they go into the workplace. That will help them to promote those rights and to ensure that they are not undermined by employers who may believe that young people do not know what those rights are. Such work is crucial in preparing young people for the workplace.
As members should be aware, one of the main problems in enforcing employment rights in the workplace is the low level of union membership throughout Scotland and the United Kingdom. I hope that the work that the STUC is doing in schools will encourage more people to become active in unions when they enter the workplace. We must continue to fight to establish such representation because, despite all the employment legislation and regulations that have been put in place in the United Kingdom by the UK Government and the European Parliament, many employers still try to take away the rights of the workforce or to not apply them as they should be applied. As Cathy Peattie said, we must address that by getting more people to join the unions and to appreciate their relevance, after many decades in which people have felt that the unions have not played a vital role.
I want to focus on apprenticeships and traineeships. For the five years before I entered Parliament, I worked hard on pay scales for trainees and apprentices. The end of this year will mark the 10th anniversary of the UK Government's introduction of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, but the UK Government has not taken the opportunity to include apprentices and trainees in the national minimum wage framework. Although, after a great deal of lobbying by the unions and low-pay organisations, it decided to take on board the issue of 16 to 18-year-olds, we still have a major gap as regards the pay of apprentices and trainees. Indeed, the Government recently extended the exemption from the national minimum wage to cover people up to the age of 26 who enter apprenticeships and traineeships. We must address that issue.
Cathy said that young people who move into employment, particularly apprenticeships and traineeships, need to be protected. Examples have been given about pay scales in such jobs. In my previous job, I learned that young workers in so-called traineeships were being paid £1.50 per hour. Young workers must not be abused in that way; they must be protected.
I urge members to support the motion. I hope that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning will take on board the points that are made and continue to support the work that the STUC does.
I remind members that they should use full names when they refer to other members.
I congratulate Cathy Peattie on bringing a debate on young people in the workplace to Parliament. There is no doubt that young people make a significant contribution to economic development and social progress in Scotland. However, young people, who have a vital role to play in the country's future prosperity, are often discriminated against in their first and subsequent experiences of work, in the context of their pay, terms and conditions and job security. At a time when charities such as Rathbone, which works with young people who are not in education, employment or training, are striving to encourage a work ethic and to assure young people—some of whom come from families who have been unemployed for not just one but two generations—that it is okay to work, it is essential that young people who have found employment are not deterred by their first experience of work.
In that context, the unions into schools project comes into its own. Through school visits and presentations, the project's organisers seek to promote understanding of and awareness about how to achieve a good working environment. That helps young people to gain the experience and skills that they need and to access full-time employment.
Modern apprenticeships, which were introduced by the last Conservative Government and developed in 1994 by employer-led partnerships between national training organisations and local enterprise companies, and which are supported by the TUC, the Confederation of British Industry, and a wide range of employers, provide an excellent example of how the TUC works with employers to ensure that young people and others gain necessary skills. However, although UK-wide modern apprenticeship take-up rates have increased, the number of apprenticeships in Scotland has remained relatively static during the past year or so. The new Scottish Government has given no guarantee of how many extra apprenticeships it will make available. Perhaps the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning will say that in her closing speech.
Apprenticeships are important, as is illustrated by the Grangemouth experience, in which trade unions worked with the sector skills council for chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil, petroleum and polymers—Cogent SSC Limited—and succeeded not only in providing access to apprenticeships for a wide range of people, including applicants from non-traditional backgrounds, but in securing guaranteed employment for apprenticeships on completion of training.
I welcome the debate, which highlights crucial employment issues for young people. I am a lifelong TUC member—which is perhaps unusual for a Conservative member of the Scottish Parliament—and I wish the STUC well with the remaining events that are part of the Scottish Parliament's trade union week.
I commend Cathy Peattie for raising awareness of the challenges that young people face when they enter employment.
Two workshops were held this morning as part of the STUC's trade union week in the Scottish Parliament, at which participants learned about the additional challenges that are faced by young people who have dyslexia or who are deaf. On dyslexia, we heard that since 2002, through the Scottish union learning fund, the STUC and individual trade unions have been working to facilitate provision and support for adults and young people in employment who want or need to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. Some of those folk will be facing increasing demands in the workplace, but others will want to improve those skills for their personal development.
Through that work, it became apparent to the unions and the STUC that some learners had dyslexia, which for many was undiagnosed. It is estimated that 10 per cent of our population are dyslexic, and that 4 per cent have severe dyslexic difficulties. It is also estimated that 75 per cent of all dyslexic people are identified as being so after reaching the age of 21, which means that many adults with dyslexia did not fulfil their potential at school because they did not have the right support. They might have inadequate literacy skills, which can impede their opportunities for employment.
The problem goes wider than difficulties with reading and writing. Many aspects of the workplace can create problems for people with dyslexia, such as time management and repetitive errors—when someone does something wrong, is told to change it but continues to do it. A dyslexic person's attention span and the speed at which they complete tasks can also be problems. Recent research states that 45 per cent of people hide their dyslexia from employers and colleagues and that 56 per cent do not believe that their employers would be able to adapt to their specific needs. Many people are not aware that they are dyslexic and assessments can be expensive. The process is complex, and people do not know what help might be available to them—access to work schemes for example—if they are identified as being dyslexic.
Trade union learning reps have been trained to identify and support people in the workplace with adult literacy and numeracy needs. With further training, it is hoped that they will be able to support people with dyslexia. Employers have responsibilities to dyslexic employees, and the aim would be that the union learning reps could help employers to understand their responsibilities and the ways in which reasonable adjustments can be made. Quite often, that can mean simple and inexpensive adjustments, such as using pastel-coloured paper, large font size and quiet time for reading instructions.
At lunch time, we heard from Chris Williams and Neil Bell. Unfortunately I do not have time to go into their experiences, but suffice it to say that they have had difficulties. The STUC is working towards a Scottish trade union strategy to achieve a dyslexia-friendly workplace, and it believes that a national strategy is required.
Another group who face additional barriers are young deaf people. Employers need clear information on their responsibilities to provide good access to work arrangements for both groups. Young deaf employees need to get a good start in fulfilling their employment potential for their own job satisfaction, as well as to ensure that they make their full contribution to the economy and to social progress. For some of those young people, British Sign Language is their first language. As with dyslexic young people, there is evidence of significant under-attainment in English skills at school among the whole population of deaf pupils.
I would like to say more, but I do not have time, so I will finish by saying that although a lot has undoubtedly been achieved in legislation and policy, there is still much for the unions and Government to address in ensuring that young deaf and dyslexic people, and others, are able to fulfil their potential in the workplace. I am pleased that Cathy Peattie has given us this opportunity to commend the trade unions for leading the way in supporting and promoting the learning and skills development of young people in the workplace.
I was not due to speak in the debate but, possibly in the best emerging traditions of the Parliament, I stayed behind after the vote and became drawn into the subject. I congratulate Cathy Peattie on securing the debate and on making an excellent contribution. I apologise to members because my remarks will necessarily be off the cuff. I should apologise also to the trade unions for not having been able to attend any of the events thus far this week, but I have been unwell. I have got my woolly cardy on to keep me warm, although I have already been accused on the Liberal Democrat floor of the MSP block of looking a little like Harold Macmillan.
In the 1970s, as a young working person, I was a member of the Transport and General Workers Union. I was involved in building an oil terminal up in Shetland, and I can remember how important my union and the other unions were in all the ways described by Cathy Peattie, such as the safety of young people. I have cause to be thankful to my shop steward and what he did for me back then. I will not go into detail, but I know what has been said in the debate to be true.
Wrapped up with that subject is one that I would raise, being a Liberal Democrat. We must empower young people and take them seriously—I am talking about lowering the voting age and enabling young people to get into placements. In the Highlands, it is not always easy to obtain quality work placements for our young people. There are some extremely good examples of businesses and companies that provide them, but more could be done on that front, so a more holistic view should be taken on that.
My second point takes me back to the importance of trade unions. If members look at the shirt or blouse that they buy, they might well see "Made in Sri Lanka" on the label. We know about off-shoring of such work, and we wonder—we know, do we not?—about the conditions that those people, who are very young indeed, work under. The trade union movement will have an important role to play in the future, just as it did in the 1970s. That may sound odd coming from a Liberal Democrat. It is easy to decry the trade union movement, talk about the winter of discontent and say that everything changed in 1979, but the trade unions' role is every bit as important today, as I know from my own experience.
I make no apology for my final point—and yet, to be polite to members, I will apologise. With the rundown of Dounreay and the complete standstill of the Nigg yard—which is a national scandal—in my constituency, I remain extremely worried about what sort of work, if any, we will be able to offer our young people. I am grateful that David Stewart and I are hosting an event in a few weeks' time with the unions that are involved in Dounreay. I give members advance notice of that. Those unions have been instrumental in bringing the issue to the Government's attention, but more work will have to be done.
I say for the third time that the unions have a role to play in securing jobs for young people in the future. It is a privilege to work alongside them.
As other speakers have done, I congratulate Cathy Peattie and commend her on securing this important debate. I am particularly proud to speak in it because of my trade union links. I can say with my hand on my heart that, without the support of my trade union—Unite the Union—and the wider trade union movement, there is no way that I would be standing in the chamber or would have the opportunity to take part in the Scottish Parliament's proceedings.
I had an interesting conversation today with a Prospect member who told me about the unions into schools project that Cathy Peattie mentioned. Union members go and speak to schoolchildren, who find out that unions such as Prospect represent a wide range of people. I was surprised to find out that Prospect represents football referees. Members might think that that is a task in itself but, if they consider the situation that football managers are in just now, they will be pleased to know that the League Managers Association is part of Unite, and I am sure that the union officials are busy looking after the managers just now.
I also pay tribute to the work that trade unions do in developing young members as active citizens. It is important to recognise that. I also need to declare an interest as a former chair of the STUC youth committee—albeit that it was a few years ago, as I am sure most members will remind me. I know at first hand the real difference that trade unions make to young workers in ensuring the best standards in the workplace. The campaign activity that has been evident as part of trade union week in the Parliament over the past few days only emphasises the force for good that trade unions are in society.
A number of young trade unionists from throughout Scotland are in the gallery, and it is positive that they have been involved fully in trade union week as well. Although it is not always recognised, the STUC youth committee carries out a lot of work behind the scenes on issues of discrimination that affect young workers. I will focus on the work that it has done on the national minimum wage. Some members might be aware of that issue—John Wilson spoke about it—and some may not. In recent years, the youth committee has given evidence on differential minimum wage rates to the Low Pay Commission, held meetings with Government ministers and organised lobbies of Scottish MPs at Westminster on the national minimum wage and support for young people in education and training.
If members look at business at Westminster, they will see that the issues that the STUC has campaigned on time and time again are now beginning to be addressed as part of the draft apprenticeship reform bill that is now making its way through Westminster. I reassure John Wilson that the Westminster Parliament will consider the differential rates in the minimum wage. Of particular note is the proposal to close the loophole that meant that there was no minimum wage protection for young workers in their first year of a modern apprenticeship.
In the debate on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's report on Scottish education this afternoon, we heard about the importance of providing young people, who can be at the most vulnerable stage of their working lives, with a solid educational grounding to support them as they make the transition into work.
The need for apprentices to be supported adequately is highlighted forcefully when we consider issues of occupational segregation in modern apprenticeships. Unsurprisingly, the traditional gender divides in construction, engineering, hairdressing and hospitality also exist at trainee level. Young women who move into apprenticeships in sectors such as hairdressing can look forward to higher drop-out rates, lower wages and less of a guarantee of a decent job at the end of their training. It is those vulnerable workers who deserve minimum wage protection, and I am glad that moves have been made at Westminster to address that.
In Scotland, we are in danger of missing out on the opportunities that will be afforded to young people south of the border, with the Education and Skills Bill and the draft apprenticeship reform bill—opportunities that are not reflected in the Scottish Government's current skills strategy. Young workers need concrete commitments that their training and jobs will be invested in and supported by the Government. It is not just their future that will be affected; it is ours, too.
I welcome the chance to debate the motion on young people in the workplace, particularly during trade union week. Elaine Smith mentioned workers who had experienced problems in the workplace because of their dyslexia, although she did not have time to discuss their experiences. On the subject of literacy and numeracy in the workplace, and referring to the previous debate on the OECD report, my colleague Keith Brown related some of the views and opinions that were expressed in the workplace session that he attended. I encourage all members to attend those sessions when they can.
I agree with what Cathy Peattie said. I support her and I congratulate her on securing the debate, particularly in this week. Our young people make a significant contribution to the economic and social development of Scotland and they will continue to do so in the future. I agree that unions have a key role to play in helping us to deliver on our ambitions for Scotland.
We have had quite a reflective debate. Jamie Stone introduced an international dimension. John Park is a very useful addition to the Parliament, bringing important insight from his experience and trade union background. When he was speaking about Prospect and football referees, I thought that he was going to touch on health and safety and frustrated, aggressive, partisan fans. He made a point about gender issues, which it is important for us to address, particularly in the workplace.
Unions have a key role in the unions into schools project, which Margaret Mitchell and other members spoke about. The initiative is aimed at raising young people's awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Throughout the project's pilot, the STUC's resource has proved to be a great success with pupils and schools. I am certain that, following its official launch in the spring, the schools pack will play an important part in developing a strong, skilled and fair-minded workforce for Scotland.
That is consistent with the aims of determined to succeed, our strategy for enterprise in education, which has supported the development of the STUC resource. We recognise the real results that determined to succeed has achieved so far, so we have committed to retain its level of funding in the recent spending review. It is important that young people who are about to enter the world of work are made aware of the issues that they will face when they get there. I am sure that all members will agree not only that having that resource in schools is a benefit today, but that it will continue to benefit young people in years to come. John Wilson stressed the importance of embedding knowledge of workplace rights from an early start.
It is of course unfortunate that there are young people who need initiatives to help them become work ready. Futureskills Scotland was concerned that 34 per cent of employers believed that school leavers were poorly prepared for the workplace. That was one of the drivers for the Government developing a comprehensive skills strategy and producing the "Skills for Scotland" document. If we are to be more dynamic and if we are to have a vibrant workforce, we need to consider skills and learning as a whole, which is what the skills strategy does.
Margaret Mitchell urged the Government to set targets for the number of apprenticeships. However, employer organisations, colleges, employers themselves and others have congratulated us for not setting such targets, which can distort policy. That said, we need to consider the quality range and the positive outcomes and completion rates for apprenticeships.
Being work ready has as much to do with building confidence and aspiration among our young people as it does with gaining the technical skills that are needed for work. That is why we want to promote a range of opportunities to allow everyone to achieve their full potential. The curriculum for excellence is at the heart of that. It builds into its core the vocational and essential skills that are needed to deliver the competitive and responsive workforce of tomorrow. Giving more school pupils opportunities to experience vocational learning is one of the 12 specified commitments in our concordat with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and our spending review settlement for local authorities and the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council reflects that.
Cathy Peattie identified the importance of the health and safety issues that we will all have to address as vocational learning becomes part and parcel of our education system.
I recognise the important role that unions at Grangemouth played in securing future employment at Ineos. Therefore, I will close the debate by saying something about the unions and their place in learning. The "Skills for Scotland" report clearly sets out the important role that the STUC and the unions will play in the delivery of a more skilled Scotland. We recognise that, for many people, their union acts as their main source of information and support when they undertake learning. The unions have provided an excellent opportunity for individuals to address their literacy and numeracy problems, in a way that those individuals do not feel is open to them if they go directly to their employer.
However, unions cannot address all those issues by themselves. If we are to get the most benefit from the role of unions in the workplace, it is vital that they work in close partnership with employers—there is a big obligation on employers in that regard. I fully support the work that unions are doing to embed the learning culture in the workplace. It is important to help individuals to raise their aspirations and to allow them to reach their full potential and to progress in the workplace. A large number of people need to improve their skills and training in the workplace—it is not only about new entrants into the workplace.
That is why I announced, at the STUC's lifelong learning conference last November, that the Government has committed just under £4.25 million over the next three years to union learning in Scotland. That has ensured, for the first time, that the funding of the STUC skills and lifelong learning team has been baselined and that the Scottish union learning fund is secure for three more years.
I am pleased to announce that that is the largest single investment in union learning under any Scottish Government, which demonstrates the value that we place on union learning. I am sure that members will welcome that and agree that the unprecedented level of funding shows that this Government is committed to Scotland's unions.
There is a great deal more to do, and Cathy Peattie's motion alerts us to what that may be. I hope that, working together across the Parliament, we can give union learning in Scotland its rightful place. I would like to have come to the reception this evening, but unfortunately I have to be in Fife—John Park will no doubt tell me how long it takes to get to Fife at this time of night. I wish the reception well, and all those involved in the trade union week in the Parliament.
Meeting closed at 17:37.