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8 July, 2021More than a hundred young unionists in the Asia Pacific region met in a virtual regional youth conference on 23 June. They committed to enhance cooperation to overcome challenges faced by young workers and effect structural changes within unions and in workplaces.
The youth stressed the importance of sharing the experiences of young unionists in different countries to learn best practices in organizing, communication, collective bargaining and creating space for youth union structures. This will enhance participation of youth in the union activities and avoid past mistakes.
The young workers mentioned a generation gap within trade unions, calling for the reform of union structures with more youth committees to bridge the gap. They urged older leaders to share the previous struggles with future leaders. Union representatives from Myanmar highlighted the difficult situation faced by young workers under the military regime.
Risher Igrobay from the Philippines said that Philippine trade unions developed training module to educate young workers on their rights and previous struggles.
Vipawan, the youth leader of Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT) said :
“CILT overcame this challenge by including more young union leaders in the national executive committee, giving them more opportunities to take part in various activities to develop their capacities.”
In South Asian countries, informalization is the greatest challenge for young workers as most work as contract workers. Precarity causes fear among young workers, as they risk being dismissed from their jobs if they join trade unions.
Bangladeshi participant Tomiza Sultana said that young unionists must oversee the employment of young workers to ensure companies strictly adhere to labour laws. Amol Patil from India said relevant labour law education should be provided to workers. Pakistani unionist Tanoli urged that global framework agreements be leveraged to ensure employment security.
Women unionists called on conference participants to pay attention to issues facing young women workers, such as being deemed as not capable or lower status from a cultural lens, violence and harassment at the workplace, which causes mental health problems.
Muhammad Ashfaq Khan from Pakistan recommended that trade unions provide gender equality training for young workers. Another participant suggested that in addition to a youth committee, a women’s committee must be set up to raise the concerns of women workers. Participants discussed with the IndustriALL communication team the effective use of social media platforms including TikTok and creating visual content to educate and create awareness among young workers of union values.
Sarah Flores, youth coordinator of IndustriALL Global Union, said :
“IndustriALL as a global union federation has been striving to amplify the voices of young workers through coordinated efforts at the national, regional and global levels. Recognizing young workers’ contribution is crucial for trade unions and more so in the Asia Pacific region where over 60 percent of the world’s youth live. For IndustriALL, it is important that workers voices get heard to influence the world they live in.”
Apoorva Kaiwar and Annie Adviento, IndustriALL regional secretaries for South Asia and South East Asia respectively, said:
“The youth is the next generation of leaders in IndustriALL. The demands for youth policy leading to their representation in the structure of the union organization is crucial, legitimate, timely and relevant. The roadmap to build their capacity and empowerment is a priority for the two regional offices in the Asia Pacific region.”