EC Meeting July 2017

GFTU EC Young Workers Seat Nomination - Candidate Supporting Statement

Freddie Seale (GMB)

My name is Freddie Seale and I am standing to be a young member on the GFTU

Executive Committee. I have been a young activist in my union, GMB, since 2015

and have developed invaluable experience campaigning and organising on young

workers’ issues.

My involvement began in campaigning to protect the union rights of workers on

University campuses and against the casualisation of contracts and unfair

dismissals. Since then I have been active in the National GMB Young Members

Network, developing my knowledge through attending young activist training courses

and conferences, as well as campaigning on a wide range of young workers’ issues

from a £10 an hour living wage to tackling out of control rents and defending our

NHS. My involvement has given me great experience in helping organise campaign

activities including lobbying the Government against age discrimination in their so-

called ‘National Living Wage’, which included meeting with Shadow Ministers in

Parliament in November 2016 to provide evidence and help organise parliamentary

activity for the campaign.

I have also gained a great deal of experience supporting other trade unions in their

campaigns from my time working for the trade union and Labour Party liaison

organisation UnionsTogether, helping to run their social media campaigning. I have

worked with affiliate unions on key national campaigns such as fighting the Trade

Union Bill and protecting workers’ rights during Brexit as well as working to publicise

and support their campaigns such as BFAWU’s £10 an Hour & Union Rights and

Action for Rail by our Transport union affiliates. In campaigning on these issues I

have a firm belief that unions’ working together in unity and solidarity is essential to securing better rights, conditions and futures for young workers in 21 st Century

Britain.

This fight comes at a time when the need to recruit and organise more young

workers in unions is greater than ever. In the EC role I will work closely with fellow

young workers’ on the committee to help take forward GFTU’s exciting initiatives on

recruitment and development of young workers such as the New Generation

Festival, applying my experience of campaigning across the movement to help

continue GFTU’s invaluable work on young workers’ campaigns and education.