A full account of the history of trade union organisation into the main union for youth and community workers, the CYWU, now a national section of Unite the union, can be found elsewhere (Nicholls, 2009). The purpose here is to emphasise some themes and aspects of this history relevant to this study of youth work. These elements appear to endure throughout the seven distinct periods of the union’s organisational history identified in Building rapport, and may be summarised as: a combined strong commitment to public service, standards, self-worth, fighting inequality and defining the uniqueness and professional intervention of youth work. Such commitments lead to a determined, long-term approach to winning essential demands for the workforce.

There are three important examples of this that exemplify the vision, doggedness and ability to fight against all odds that have characterised the union’s history to date.

Pay up

In 1945 the CYWU began to consider the position of youth workers’ wages. At that time youth workers were all on different individualised scales throughout the country. In 1946 the union resolved to produce model terms and conditions and to make representation to the Board of Education to achieve proper recognition and national terms and conditions. This began what was to be a long struggle for national collective bargaining linked to qualifications and issues relating to the standards of youth work practice. The union persistently published details of the uneven and unfair terms and conditions of youth workers throughout the country, and lobbied government with its findings. In 1949 a government report known as the Jackson Report advocated that youth workers’ terms and conditions should be made consistent and comparable to other professions.

‘Cinderella’ fights back

In 1951 a Conservative education minister described the Youth Service as a ‘frill of education’. This led to the first significant battle to save what then existed of the Youth Service. The union combined with the voluntary sector not just to save and promote youth service provision, but also to establish national collective bargaining.