On Tuesday 21 July the Bristol YFJ campaign presented a petition of over 200 signatures to the council.

The hard work spent holding stalls, petitioning and raising awareness of the campaign really paid off as we managed to get local print, radio and TV coverage, hopefully spreading the message that there is a way to fight back to the thousands of those, like us, who are struggling to find employment.

Despite moves by the council to prevent us giving a statement with our petition because of an administrative error, it went off without a hitch.

I highlighted the rapidly increasing scale of youth unemployment and the failure of government to address the problem. The speech was met by a large round of applause led by the public gallery and joined by a sheepish council, who looked rightfully ashamed of their inaction in the face of the current crisis.

Overall the support shown by members of the public for the campaign is encouraging, as it demonstrates there is real backing for our generation’s struggle in the face of the biggest recession since the 1930s.

Jack Jeffrey, Bristol Youth Fight for Jobs & Bristol Socialist Party

On 8th August, members of the Bristol Central Socialist Party fanned out, visiting picket lines in Fishponds, Bristol Central, Kingswood and Yate to show solidarity to striking CWU workers at those depots. The response of the workers was open and friendly, with strikers taking solidarity leaflets.

The numbers taking part in picketing at Fishponds and Yate far exceeded the legal limits of six. At the Fishponds depot, pickets had a large dragon’s head and outfit, apparently designed to suprise managers as they drove delivery vans!

Striking workers in Yate got around directives from management saying that anyone blowing whistles at scabs would be disciplined, by installing a remote control fart machine by the gates.

Many of the workers were looking forward to a national strike in September.

Martyn Ahmet, Bristol Socialist Party