Young people in city claim they are ‘worst affected’ by pandemic
GLASGOW’S young people argue they have been one of the worst affected groups during lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak.
They say they are more likely to have been made redundant or lose their jobs since the pandemic started and have not been put on the government’s furlough scheme.
There are also calls for a pay rise for Glasgow’s key workers regardless of age.
At a Zoom conference call recently, Kieran O’Neill former Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, spoke about the challenges young people had been facing.
Mr O’Neill said: “Covid-19 has left a lot of people worse off – we can’t deny it. This is about how we respond to that and help people move forward.
“Young people have been one of the worst affected groups. You will see stories in the media about student unions dismissing staff which just isn’t acceptable.
“I’m 22, the oldest of six and two of my brothers lost their jobs during lockdown. Families across the north of Glasgow and the entire country are experiencing that.
“Students are suffering as well. They are extending SAAS payments (Students Award Agency
Scotland) and I know from my experience that if I didn’t have my SAAS over the summer months I couldn’t pay my rent.
“When I was at university my student support stopped over the summer which made it hard. One of the reassuring things in this crisis as been resilience and supporting our communities.
“As young people leading the way, we have come together to keep people’s spirits up. Right now, it is really grim and it will feel that way for a lot of people, but I hope people value young people more as well.”
Mr O’Neill is also calling for a pay rise for every frontline worker even if they are under 25.
He added: “I hope they give every essential worker a pay rise, not just the ones over 18 or 25. Every single key worker deserves that pay rise and I think everyone agrees on that and we will have unity on the issue.”
He hopes that by working together life can get better for everyone after lockdown.