England’s Jarrow March for Jobs Revived

On 5 Oct. 1936, a group 200 men from the English northeastern town of Jarrow marched 300 miles to London. They wanted  to tell Parliament they were orderly, responsible citizens, but were living in a region where there was 70% unemployment.

The marchers demanded that a steel mill be built to bring back their city’s jobs to Jarrow. The shipyard, Jarrow’s major employer, had closed the previous year forcing an already poor community to desperation.

Seventy-five years later, jobs are still an issue in the Jarrow area. Around 50 young ­unemployed people set off from the same town 3 Oct. 2011 to retrace the 300-mile journey to London to demand a work creation programme.

The march, organized by Youth Fight for Jobs, will end with a protest against high unemployment levels on 5 November.

The marchers are demanding the launch of a massive Government scheme to create jobs, the reinstatement of Education Maintenance Allowance payments, the reopening of axed youth services, the scrapping of controversial workfare schemes and a huge building programme of green and cheap social housing.

The marchers will hold rallies along the route – including in Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham – before reaching London where they will march to Trafalgar Square.