26 and below: Sam Bell

Sam Bell combines being a rep with studying at university and with both parents being Usdaw activists she’s in good company

Q Why did you join and why are you involved in the union?
A My dad’s a rep in my store so I kind of had to join. I love being a rep and helping people.

Q What’s good about being involved?
A Lots. The people you meet and getting involved in the campaigns.

Q What difference has Usdaw made to your life?
A I’ve made some good friends especially through the youth committee and it feels good to help make a difference to people’s working lives.

Q How active is the union in your workplace?
A Very. We have three reps on days and one on nights. Our branch is active and we get involved in all the campaigns.

Q Do you have a lot of young members/students in your workplace?
A Yes. And a lot of them have joined the union. Younger workers are more inclined to join after you’ve spoken to them directly – you can usually win them over on issues like disciplinaries and absences.

Q If you could introduce one new law what would it be?
A To lighten up on political correctness. People go too far the other way these days.

Q Have you ever been on any Usdaw training courses?
A Yes. The National Youth Weekend last November. It was loads of fun. I met lots of new people and swapped numbers so I can ring them or vice-versa for advice or a chat. I learnt a lot about the union that I didn’t already know and expanded my knowledge on other familiar issues.

Q What do you think is the most important issue for young workers?
A They don’t get the respect they deserve at work, and aren’t seen as experienced enough.

Q What makes you angry and happy?
A Money makes me angry and happy. Angry when I don’t have any and happy when I do. Seeing kids on street corners worries me... there are so many things they could be doing but instead they choose to laze about the streets for hours doing nothing!

Q What’s next for Sam Bell?
A To finish my university degree. I’d like to work with deaf children. I have a hearing impairment myself which is one of the reasons I’m looking into this for a career.

Sam answers our trivia questions

Age:

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Union activity?

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Where is your favourite holiday destination?

What was your first job?

Who would you invite to your celebrity dinner party?

If your house was burning down what would you save?

Which famous person living or dead would you like to meet?

Who has had the most influence on you and why?

If I wasn’t speaking to you now?

Favourite film:

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Where do you go for a night out?

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