ICFTU OnLine…
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| Youth week - the future of the
trade union movement (4) October 30 has been declared the world day of action for young workers. The ICFTU and the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) are marking the day with a series of initiatives to be carried out in over 100 countries, aimed at promoting the rights of young people at the workplace. ICFTU OnLine, the ICFTU’s dispatch service, will distribute articles throughout the week on the situation of young workers. To join the campaign, see the new Youth page on this site. |
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Brussels, November 04, 1998 (ICFTU OnLine):"It was my political commitment that brought me to the trade unions. I was fighting for the reform of the health care sector within a coalition of different political movements and trade unions. Through this contact I found out more and more about the trade unions and I decided to join" explains 25-year-old Wendy Ray, the AFL-CIO youth coordinator. "In Sacramento, in California, I was involved in the "Union Summer" campaign which aims at mobilising college students (18 to 22 year-olds). The first year we mobilised 1000 students, and involved them in various demonstrations and door to door activities. This operation received very positive media coverage and is now in its third year. The arrival of these young people has re-energised the trade union movement and given new impetus to its recruitment drive.
Young trade unionists are also very involved in two highly publicised trade union campaigns. The first, run by the textile workers’ union "Unite", on illegal workshops and exploitation in the garment industry mobilised a lot of young people, particularly in the universities, around the issue of responsible consumption. The second concerns the organisation of agricultural workers, particularly in the strawberry picking sector, a sector which employs many young Mexican immigrants. Here too, the trade unions have succeeded in mobilising young consumers in their campaign.
It is important to work with other members of civil society. For the recruitment and human rights campaign, we work for example with the United States Students Association, the biggest students association in the country. We also work with groups representing young people in different ethnic communities.
In light of our recent successes, trade union leaders are being forced to take more notice of young people. There is definitely a positive move towards giving us more involvement."
International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
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please contact: Luc Demaret on: 00 322 224 0212 - press@icftu.org