Sub-regional trade union seminar on youth employment in South Eastern Europe
by Eszter Szabó
Programme Asssistant, Workers’ Activities, ILO SRO-Budapest
10–12 November 2003
Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Trade unions in the SEE region are showing a strong commitment to poverty eradication and enhancing social cohesion. It is broadly accepted that exclusion from employment is the shortest path to poverty. Unemployment among young people is a common phenomenon that can have dramatic consequences for society in the long run. Therefore, the involvement of trade unions in developing policies aimed at the promotion of youth employment can not only make a significant contribution to bipartite and tripartite Social Dialogue, but also can have an effect on shaping the future of society.
A sub-regional trade union seminar was organized in Belgrade in November with the aim of enhancing knowledge and awareness on the issues of youth employment. The seminar’s goal was to strengthen the capacity of youth trade union networks in South Eastern Europe to better represent the interests of young workers and to fortify the capacity of trade unions in the sub-region to promote active participation in Social Dialogue on youth employment. The seminar was organized under the project “Strengthening Social Dialogue and tripartism and enhancing the technical expertise in labour law in the countries of South Eastern Europe”, funded by the French government. The seminar participants were representatives from the youth sections of trade union confederations in the ICFTU Youth Network and WCL-affiliated organizations in Stability Pact countries.
Major technical inputs to the seminar were made by Sandrine Cazes of SRO Budapest and Niall O’Higgins from the University of Salerno. An overview of labour market developments in both CEE and SEE countries in recent years was provided, followed by an examination of specific labour market trends for young people. Both experts analyzed the dramatic situation of young people in the region, and provided some comparison of the various reasons and determinants for the high level of unemployment. Ms Cazes also introduced two ongoing ILO projects relevant for the general discussion – namely the labour market indicators project for Central and South East European countries (KILM-LMIL), and the “flexicurity” project.
The representatives from the Youth Employment Network of the ILO, as well as French and Irish trade union representatives, made valuable contributions to the discussions by presenting their experiences. Dimitrina Dimitrova, senior specialist on workers’ activities, highlighted the importance of links between the promotion of youth employment and organizing young workers.
The seminar provided the participants with an opportunity to exchange experiences and broadened their knowledge of the labour market situation for young workers in their countries and in the region. The discussions at the seminar were open-minded and lively. They focused closely on the questions of how to better represent the interests of young workers within trade unions and how to strengthen the involvement of trade unions in Social Dialogue on policies aimed at promoting youth employment.
The seminar discussions highlighted major challenges faced by unions in their response to youth unemployment. The participants agreed that trade unions are not yet well prepared in terms of expertise on these issues, nor have they shown real commitment to addressing youth employment as a policy area. Social Dialogue on youth employment in the countries in the sub-region has so far been ad hoc, and divorced from related policy matters. The participants agreed that rapid and proactive steps must be undertaken by the youth sections within trade unions, in order to contribute to the change of attitudes and policies within trade unions.
The seminar strengthened the expertise of the participants on the subject of youth employment and social exclusion, and encouraged further cooperation among trade union youth representatives in the Stability Pact region. It also complemented efforts made by other international organizations active in South Eastern Europe – including ICFTU, WCL and ETUC – to strengthen representation of youth interests through trade unions.
At the end of the seminar, the participants adopted conclusions on possible ways to strengthen trade union involvement in the design and implementation of measures to promote youth employment (see below). These conclusions can be used in the preparation for the 7th ILO European Conference, to be held in Budapest in 2005.
Conclusions
The Seminar participants demand that their governments pay close attention to youth policies, particularly with regard to youth employment. Such efforts should be supported by institutions, policies and programmes that create the conditions for national economic and employment growth in general, and for young persons in particular.
The Seminar participants emphasize that sustainable economic and employment growth is an important precondition for improving the labour market situation of young people in the sub-region.
It is essential that governments, trade unions and employers engage in dialogue with and involve young people in the question of youth employment, if policies are to be truly relevant to the young people of today and tomorrow.
Trade unions commit themselves to engage with governments and employers on the formulation and implementation of such policies. It is critical that trade unions take action to:
1. Strengthen representation of young workers within trade unions
- Undertaking studies of the present situation of young people in the labour market and identifying problem areas and obstacles for young people in joining unions. On this basis, trade unions should then create programmes for young people that truly address their concerns and needs;
- Organizing public debate forums for young people in order to attract young people to the unions;
- Organizing joint meetings between young trade union activists and leaders of trade unions on a regular basis in order to reach common objectives and goals, while undertaking joint efforts to address the needs and concerns of young people;
- Including young people at all levels of the movement: executive boards, committees, delegations, congresses, collective bargaining and negotiation teams, training and education programmes;
- Addressing the needs and protecting the rights of young workers in the informal economy;
- Strengthening women’s and youth sections within trade union confederations; prioritizing and allocating financial and human resources to youth sections (e.g. through special annual budgets);
- Encouraging joint initiatives between youth sections and other structures within national centres (e.g. initiatives for young women, in partnership with the women’s section);
- Allowing trade union initiatives and campaigns – whether on youth related issues or not – to be led by young people;
- Consolidating the national trade union movement, improving cooperation in general and coordination on issues related to young workers;
- Building alliances with other agents of civil society, including NGOs dealing with gender and youth.
2. Build capacities to strengthen trade union expertise on labour market policies and human resources development
- Identifying people within the trade union, particularly in the youth sections, who have expertise in a targeted issue (e.g. youth employment);
- Strengthening expertise in the area of macroeconomic policy and labour market issues, and building strong expertise in human resource development and training;
- Allocating space for young people in trade union education and training programmes (e.g. creating a quota of 15% of participants for any programme to be young trade union activists);
- Strengthening links and joint initiatives with educational institutions and universities relating to the promotion of youth employment;
- Enhancing the motivation of trade union experts to engage in analysis and policy formulation on active labour market policies and training for young workers.
3. Strengthen trade unions’ participation in Social Dialogue on youth employment policies at the national level
- Promoting the effective operation of tripartite institutions of Social Dialogue at the national level;
- Involving young people as well as their concerns and needs in Social Dialogue, particularly in relation to youth employment issues;
- Promoting the interests of young people by contributing strong expertise to the work of various committees at these institutions;
- Lobbying for affordable and accessible education of quality for all young people;
- Promoting a legal and institutional framework addressing the needs of young people, including youth employment;
- Initiating and supporting government policy to improve and increase investment in training and emphasize the importance of life-long learning;
- Contributing to policy development and to the strengthening of education and training institutions and workplace-based training, in order to ensure the effective school-to-work transition of young people.
4. Promote the interests of young workers through collective bargaining
- Providing training for young trade union activists on collective bargaining;
- Engaging in collective bargaining at all levels, including stronger representation for young people in negotiating teams. Such collective bargaining should encompass issues such as:
- Ensuring equal access for all workers, including young people, to skills required by the enterprise and the economy;
- Training, retraining and continuous training necessary for all workers, including young persons;
- The development of career paths for young workers;
- Individual training and development plans for young workers;
- Facilities and support services needed to allow the maximum benefits from learning and training.
5. The role of regional and international cooperation
- The ILO should explore the possibility of providing further technical assistance in the area of youth employment;
- The ILO should play a key role in monitoring the situation of young people, both in trade unions and in the labour market;
- The ILO should strive to ensure spaces are created at meetings, seminars and workshops for young trade union activists;
- The ILO should assist national centres in setting up national training seminars on collective bargaining for youth sections and other related youth employment issues;
- The ILO can play a role in exerting strong pressure on its members (governments, trade unions and employers) to make the youth employment issue a key priority;
- International trade union cooperation and the exchange of good practices should be strengthened by working with international trade union organizations in order to enhance their capacity to facilitate the creation of platforms for young trade unionists to share experiences, expertise and concerns on youth related issues.
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