20 August, 2024At a youth training workshop in Antananarivo, 16-17 August, young workers committed to recruiting their peers into trade unions using innovative ways that include social media and events with a youth focus.
They argued that young workers had inadequate information about trade unions that can attract them to join. Yet the youth could be reached through social media messages, and be invited to union meetings, discussion groups, sports events, and other social events where music was played.
The training workshop heard that there is a demographic shift in the trade union movement in Madagascar with some unions now having over 50 per cent of their members below the age of 35.
The United Nations(UN) has described this as a “demographic dividend” which will benefit trade unions as well. According to the UN a demographic dividend can result in increased economic growth when better educated and skilled young workers enter the labour market. Some of these skills include digital skills needed for platform economies that are being established in Madagascar as confirmed by the participants.
The importance of trade union transformation that included young workers in union activities through increased participation, representation, integration, and capacity development through worker education was also on the agenda. The transformation should also include gender equality as young women were the majority in some industries that included the textile and garment sector.
Discussions highlighted the importance of enhancing trade unions' understanding of the changing world of work which is influenced by digital technologies, and that trade unions should continue the fight against precarious working conditions that disproportionately affected young workers.
The young workers should also fight for fundamental rights at work specifically trade union rights and collective bargaining as well as campaigning for job creation and against drug addiction especially among unemployed youth.
Tree planting was given as one of the activities that young workers can do in the communities in which they live. The youth should be involved in climate change, through their union activities on the Just Transition from high to low carbon economies.
Leontine Mbolanomena, IndustriALL national project coordinator for Madagascar said:
“We continue to encourage the youth especially the young women that the union is their organization and that they are the future leaders. In our meetings we are ensuring that young workers have access to information about the labour laws and regulations as well as appraise them on international campaigns for trade union rights.”
Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary said:
“The changing demographics in the union, with young workers becoming the majority, is something that must be embraced in the context of the changing world of work. The trade unions in Madagascar and in Africa must ensure that the youth are catalysts in this transformation.”
The 22 participants were from IndustriALL affiliates Federation des Syndicats Autonomes des Travailleurs de l’Industrie (FESATI), Federation de Syndicat des Travailleurs des Entreprises Frances et Textile (SEMPIZOF), and Syndicalisme et Vie des Societes (SVS) that organize workers in the mining and textile and garment industries.
The workshop was held with support from IndustriALL affiliate, ACV-BIE, Belgium, as part of the union building project.