Differences aside

TUCYWC

Last weekend (21/22 March) the TUC hosted its Young Workers Conference in London. Ben Abrams, Youth Committee Chair and Becca Hufton, Youth Committee member both represented the CWU. Ben moved the CWU’s motion on mental health wellbeing and with the support of other delegates (whose personal accounts of dealing with mental health issues affected conference immeasurably) the motion was voted as a priority campaign for the conference and will be on the agenda of the TUC Conference later this year.

Ben and Becca represented the CWU admirably and again demonstrated that CWU Youth recognises, understands and deals with those issues that affect its members on a daily basis. Ben and Becca have written their own personal accounts of their experience of the conference and Becca’s is here for you to read below (you will a link to Ben’s at the bottom of this blog). Our thanks to them both for their hard work over the weekend.


Ben at TUCYWCNow, this was my first time attending the TUC young workers conference, I had no idea what to expect. As always though I kept an open mind and an open approach and it was beneficial in a number of ways. Not only did it allow me an easier time understanding the way things were run, but it allowed me to feel relaxed and able to form friendships with various unions.

The CWU contributed a motion and the nature of the motion was based on mental health, something that whether we like it or not affects us all. Chair of the CWU Youth Committee Ben Abramsdid a fantastic job of moving the motion and started the ball rolling for what was to come.

It was with the help of NUT’s Kristian Simon and all other contributing unions that not only did this motion get unanimously get carried… it is going to the TUC Congress.

Kristian SimonIt truly is a fantastic thing knowing that all of the work that we put in is being acknowledged and that the majority of young delegates feel exactly the same. To know that our passion for the whole wellbeing of our young members is not in vain, and that together we can have such a huge impact that will be impossible to ignore, is encouraging in itself.

This is something that the CWU Youth Committee is extremely proud of. And although I am proud of this, I am without a doubt, wholeheartedly proud of something bigger.

I am proud of the fact that as young members of affiliated trade unions we were able to put aside our differences, we were able to put aside the names of our representative bodies and we were able to show the movement that together our bond as trade unionists is strong and within our solidarity lies passion, progression and determination. So not only am I proud to be CWU. I am proud to be part of a youth movement that acknowledges the past, embraces the present and strives for the future.

Mental Health Motion graph