Member Article

Young People Don’t Know Their Rights In The Workplace

50% of 18 -30 year olds believe trade unions are a vital support network for employment rights, despite 65% not belonging to one

A new study shows that young workers are not only unaware of the rights they hold in the workplace, but are less likely to belong to a trade union - an organisation that is specifically designed to protect employees.

Conducted by UIA Mutual Insurance, the study shows that half of 18-30 year olds understand the support network trade unions supply, despite two-thirds of them not belonging to their relevant union.

“The rise of the ‘gig economy’ job and zero-hours contracts serves to highlight the changing face of British working life and the growing need for better workplace representation and assistance,” says Jon Craven, CEO of UIA Mutual.

“We found in our study that nationally just over two fifths of 18-30 year olds believe that young people are far more vulnerable at work than others and should be protected by unions.”

For the few 18-30 year olds that have decided to become part of a trade union, however, nearly 39% say that they feel more protected at work.

Elsewhere, just under a third of young union members across Great Britain and Northern Ireland have been assisted with an issue at work, and over a quarter identified a sense of community that comes with belonging to a trade union.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Broadcast Exchange .