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Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue
1 (March 1999)
Issue
2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue
7 (May 2000)
Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)
Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)
Categories
Sport: 1
2 3
Lifestyles: 1 2
3
Commentary: 1 2
3
Review: 1 2
3
Writing: 1 2
3
Event: 1 2
3
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Gillian Kennedy
Manor House School, Raheny
Gillian Kennedy reports on the plight
of young workers
Recently there has been a lot in the news about the new minimum wage.
Now, to many people this is a long awaited raise in the pay of the poorly
paid but don't be deceived, the minimum wage will discriminate against
many part-time workers, specifically, the underaged. In this democratic
country of ours, you are able to work legally from the age of 16, yet
the minimum wage is only for those over 18. If you look in many of our
newsagents, pubs and supermarkets many of the workers are 16 or 17, yet
these workers have no rights.
Many workers have unions to stick up for them in their time of need,
who do these workers have, no one! The law states that at 16 you are not
legally able to work past 10.00 pm, but I have asked many teenagers and
many of them work as late as 3.00 am in the morning. They are treated
dreadfully, with woeful working conditions, often humiliating and degrading
treatment by employers, slave labour wages and no association to protect
their rights. I researched what an average 16 year old got, and was astounded
by the pathetic pay, the lowest being £2.25 per hour.
Now I know that these jobs are not full-time and are only a bit of extra
money for teenagers, but this does not mean they should not get fair pay.
The only way to change this unfair and prejudicial treatment is to change
the laws and establish an association for the working youth of our country.
The constitution states that we are all equal, this includes the youth,
let's make start with the workplace.
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