Chair, conference, Kieron Green, STUC Youth Committee,
Thank you for inviting me to address your conference. Once again it is good to see so many delegates here today. I remember addressing this conference last year and being concerned about cuts in pay, pensions and supported employment, about a bleak future ahead for young people leaving education, and a fear that the financial services industry would be forgotten about as the cause of the current economic problems. It is sad enough that these are still as relevant one year on - but I don't think that any of us thought a new government could be as savage and swathing in their cuts as the ConDem coalition has turned out to be.
I read through the Motions being put to this conference with interest, and have been fortunate enough to hear some of them being debated this afternoon. I share many of the concerns expressed in these motions. In particular I find the prospect of cuts to the welfare state, including the presumption that people on disability related benefits are avoiding work, or are exagerating their condition to be horrific. This will be counterproductive - not only taking resources away from those who need it most, but forcing people to take decisions that will be detrimental to their long term health and wellbeing. This is especially a problem for young people with disabilities, who have many years of life, potentially working life left if they are given the right support. On that point supported employment, and support to those in mainstream employment is also being cut, last year it was Glencraft, this year Blindcraft, along with threats to money for workplace adaptations. Where is the sense in this?
At times like this it is often stressed that education and training offer people the opportunity to improve their future prospects in life. It seems completely perverse therefore to choose this as the time to decimate funding for further and higher education. So far in Scotland we might not be threatened with mortgage sized graduate debts, but following the trend set by England there is now increasing pressure for those leaving college and university to contribute to the cost of their studies. The unrealistic efficiency savings being called for by the Scottish Government add to this danger. This is not just a problem for young people, but those of all ages, who, because of changing circumstances, including disabilities need to find new career options.
Difficult economic conditions, a perceived lack of money, and fears for the future must not be allowed to be used as an excuse by employers to drive down conditions and forget their equalities duties. For the reason I am pleased that there are continuing good relations between the equality groups within the STUC - as together we can fight discrimination whatever the cause.
To finish, I bring greetings from the STUC Youth Committee, I hope that you have had an interesting day so far, and that you enjoy this evening and the rest of your conference.
Thank you.