[LabComm] International Youth Day - August 12

[Adams, Carol]

Reaffirming our solidarity with young workers 
 
By Diane Wood
BCGEU Secretary-Treasurer                      
 
August 12 is International Youth Day, a day when young people should be
celebrating the gains they have made in their workplaces and
communities.
 
But the reality is, it's not easy being a young worker today. According
to UN statistics, about one-half of the world's population is aged 25
years or under, but unemployment rates among young people are of
epidemic proportions. 
 
In BC, there are over a quarter million young workers between the ages
of 15 and 24. Most work in service, sales and hospitality, earn low to
moderate incomes, and are non-unionized. Many are casual or part-time
workers, and have to hold two or even three jobs just to make ends meet.
 
The Campbell Liberals have made it harder and harder for young workers
to find secure, sustaining jobs. As one of their first acts as
government, they introduced the $6 an hour training wage, driving more
young people into poverty. In October 2003, they passed legislation
giving BC the youngest work-start age in all of North America. Children
as young as 12 can be employed for up to 35 hours a week. And at the
same time, the Campbell Liberals have cut funding for post-secondary
education, skills training and apprenticeships, raised tuition fees, and
slashed child care funding, making it even tougher for young workers.
 
The labour movement and our union in particular are continuing to fight
these regressive policies, and finding new ways to address the
challenges facing young workers.
We must. There has never been a more urgent need to involve more young
members at all levels of our union. Like the society around us, we have
an ageing membership. We've said goodbye to many of our long-time
activists.
 
Over the past several years, the BCGEU has introduced a number of
initiatives to reach out to young members.
 
We appointed a Task Force on Youth to make recommendations on a Youth
Action Plan, education programs, and involving young members in the
union's structure. We now have a young worker coordinator, who works
with area cross component committee young worker representatives to
develop ideas and initiatives for the union.
We designated a "Young Worker" site on the BCGEU website to provide news
and information and address issues relevant to young workers. You can
access the site from the BCGEU home page at www.bcgeu.ca.
 
Prior to the last convention, cross component committee chairpersons and
members of the Provincial Executive Community and Social Action
Committee met with BCGEU young workers to share ideas about how to
identify young BCGEU members, include them in area activities, and
ensure their issues are on the agenda.
The union held a young worker forum with participants from every region
which ran parallel to the 2003 policy convention. 
 
Two of our union's young worker representatives were part of the BCGEU
delegation to the recent convention of our National Union, the National
Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). The convention adopted a
number of important initiatives to support young workers, including a
working session for young activists to develop ways to highlight and
address the particular issues and problems faced by young people, and to
encourage young members to play an active role in our union.
 
This International Youth Day, the BCGEU reaffirms our commitment to
working in solidarity with young people, both in our union and in our
communities. Please join us in celebrating with young members at your
workplace.

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