Unite, the UK’s leading union, which represents thousands of hospitality workers, has called on the government to ensure that employers don’t use a new scheme to get Neets into employment in hospitality, to jettison existing workers or undercut pay and conditions.

Under the scheme the government is intending to get up to 100,000 18-24 year olds into work in the hospitality sector, over the next three years.

While Unite recognises the importance of supporting Neets into work, it believes that the proposed scheme does not tackle the fundamental challenges the economy is facing. Instead funding needs to be found for a huge increase in high quality apprenticeships together with proper investment in lifelong learning.

Need for high quality apprenticeships

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The way to get more young people into work is to make sure they have high-quality apprenticeships and well-paid jobs to go into.

“The government needs to ensure they are not subsidising bad employment practices or allowing young people to be exploited as cheap labour. Young people also have bills to pay and are subject to the same cost of living pressures as other workers.”

Unite is seeking copper bottomed assurances that unscrupulous employers don’t benefit from the £3,000 grant they will receive for each worker hired, to make existing (more expensive) workers redundant. Or to suppress wages and reduce conditions. The scheme must not be used to subsidy poor employment.

ENDS

Notes to editors

For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite senior communications advisor Barckley Sumner on 07802 329235.

Email: barckley.sumner@unitetheunion.org

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Unite is the UK and Ireland’s leading union fighting to protect and advance jobs, pay and conditions for members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.