Greens call for trade union education in every school
With schools returning for the new term, Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer has urged the Scottish Government to ensure that every young person is taught about the rights they will have in the workplace.
During the Greens’ time in the Scottish Government, Greer trebled funding for the ‘Unions Into Schools’ programme delivered by the Scottish Trades Union Congress. Following the success of this work the Scottish Greens are now calling for the Scottish Government to expand this project to every high school in the country.
The scheme, which began in 2004, sees union reps visit secondary schools and work with classes and teachers to ensure that young people have a knowledge of their rights in the workplace.
Workplace union representatives are trained to visit secondary schools across Scotland to deliver interactive sessions on workers' rights, equalities, and other topics related to trade unions, currently reaching around 7000 students annually.
Ross said:
“There is nothing that terrifies cruel and exploitative employers as much as unionised workers who know their rights.
“Trade unions have been crucial in securing almost all of the rights that workers have today and consigning some of the worst employment practices to history.
“When union membership increases we all benefit. Knowing your rights is especially important for young workers, who often have the lowest wages and whose employers exploit their lack of knowledge about what they are legally owed.
“The STUC is doing invaluable work to reach out to young people. I am proud of the work that the Scottish Greens did to secure record funding for the Unions in Schools programme. Now with AI, insecure contracts and corporate greed changing the world of work, I want to see it supported even more so that every school can benefit.
“Every young person deserves to know about their rights in the workplace before they get there. I am urging the Scottish Government to work with the trade union movement to ensure that every school pupil has that opportunity.”