Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Employment Rights


Since being elected, I've been working on initiatives to raise awareness of student rights at work, and implementing processes through which we can help students having problems. Here is a quick blog to update you on the work I've been doing in conjunction with the Jobzone.

Established termly drop in sessions from TUC representatives (although we also have the potential for more regular drop ins if a pattern of complaints arises). The first one of these occured last week and was very successful.

I have also begun to look into establishing an agency for jobs on campus, which was passed by the second meeting of Guild Council. This agency reflects the fact that students in temporary/agency employment are at a higher risk than those in permanent work. 4-5% of the jobs in Jobzone are currently sourced from campus any way, but under the current process- students seeking temporary work on campus have to complete the application process each time they go for a new appointment.
An agency would mean that we would have an established, ready trained pool of students eligible for temporary vacancies on campus without having to apply on each occasion.

Future plans for this initiative include a mentor awareness campaign on rights at work, outreach work through Jobzone/TUC roadshows (with focus on satellite sites) and potentially a drive to increase trade union membership across the student body.

The Jobzone will also continue with its employment enhancement intitatives, for example free courses in English for international students and free food hygeine and customer service training.

Keep checking back as I hope to be able to update you more soon

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