UNITE National March and Rally. Saturday February 14th

 Protest at the most severe example of cuts and de-professionalisation in children’s and young people’s services currently. These are being proposed by Coventry City Council
DON’T let them demolish children’s and young people’s services.
DON’T let them remove professional qualification requirements.
DON’T let them remove professional JNC terms and conditions.
DON’T let them close essential services for children, young people and families.
UNLESS WE STOP THEM IT COULD BE YOU NEXT.

Coventry City Council is proposing to demolish children’s and young people’s services that have taken over thirty years to build up. They propose to close essential after school children’s and young people clubs and activities. They propose to remove professional terms and conditions for remaining staff and to put them on zero hours contracts.
All Unions in Coventry oppose this foolhardy move. Coventry’s plans make a mockery of the new government plans for integrated youth support services. They make a mockery of the government plans for workforce development. They make a mockery of the citizens of Coventry who have highly valued their children’s and young people’s services for many years.
Coventry was the infamous ‘ghost town’ of the eighties when its industries were pulled apart. We cannot let this happen again. Vital public services for our young people symbolise our commitment to the future. The council has no right to abandon its commitment to the next generation. Fortunes have been spent by the council on private consultancies to tell them how to cut services. They know nothing of the professional and social importance of the services they have proposed to destroy.

When we marched to stop Warwickshire cutting the youth service in the seventies – we won. When we marched in 2006 to stop Liverpool removing JNC terms and conditions – we won.

Youth workers_Children’s Workers_Play Workers_Community Workers