Indonesian youth speak up about future of work and OSH

It was a cool and lovely breezy Wednesday afternoon on 28 February at Amir Hamzah Park in Central Jakarta. The trees were swaying gently. Some school children were busy practicing dances for their school play at the opened hall of the park. Meanwhile, some smaller children were riding their bikes or playing basketball.

At the front entrance, a standing banner, “ILO 100: Advancing Social Justice, Promoting Decent Work”, stood tall, giving a sign to a group of young women and men entering the park. They went inside and gathered at the mini open theater in the park where two young musicians played an acoustic music. More groups of youth joined the small crowd in the park, enjoying the music while waiting for the interactive discussion to start.

Before joining this interactive discussion, I was not aware of OSH. I never think of OSH when I write for my blogs, books or articles for media. Sometimes I worked for days without resting because of my deadlines and I never thought of my working environment."

M. Faiz Maulana, a blogger

To attract the millennial generation, the ILO attempted an innovative event in the park. The theme of the discussion was regarding future of work and its impact to youth and occupational safety and health (OSH) titled “Youth Talks on Future of Work and OSH”. The Future of Work Initiative is the centerpiece of the ILO’s activities to mark its Centenary.

The interactive discussion was part of the celebration of the ILO Centenary. For 100 years, the ILO has advanced social justice and promote decent work. The ILO Centenary also marks the Indonesia’s 69 years journey with the ILO.

The event was conducted through the ILO’s Safe Youth at Work Project, aimed to address OSH issues for young workers. Funded by the US Department of Labour, the Project focuses on improvements in OSH data, laws and policies as well as technical capacity and public awareness.

It is important for us to know about OSH not only for our future work but also in any aspects of our lives. I will share the information that I got today to my surroundings so that more youth will have better OSH knowledge."

Dea Oktaviana, a college student

During the interactive discussion, the participating youth shared their views and insights about the fast changing world of work and the future employment that they have envisioned. M. Faiz Maulana, a blogger, shared his experience as an independent writer. As a blogger, he said that he decided his own working load, working hours and types of working relations with publishers, mass media organizations and others.

Although he has prepared himself for the future type of work, he admitted that he was not yet aware of the importance of OSH to his work life. “Before joining this interactive discussion, I was not aware of OSH. I never think of OSH when I write for my blogs, books or articles for media. Sometimes I worked for days without resting because of my deadlines and I never thought of my working environment,” he said.

Being challenged to share her own initiative on OSH in the discussion, Dea Oktaviana, a college student, said that she was going to start small from herself. She vowed to take OSH into considerations in any aspects of her life. “It is important for us to know about OSH not only for our future work but also in any aspects of our lives. I will share the information that I got today to my surroundings so that more youth will have better OSH knowledge,” she added.

I am grateful to be involved in the preparing this event with the ILO. We need this kind of event to help us better understanding about issues that are important in our lives as young people, including OSH issues."

Fadllil Kaafi, a graduate student who is also one of the OSH youth champions

The interactive discussion was facilitated by Valentine Offenloch, Technical Specialist of the ILO’s Safe Youth at Work and Abdul Hakim, National Project Officer of ILO’s Safe Youth at Work. In the discussion, they enlightened the participating youth with knowledge, facts and information related to OSH and young people. They reminded that the young workers were more prone to workplace injuries and ill health than adult and they also raise the awareness about youth rights at work, particularly on OSH.

After two hours, the event was ended before 06.00 pm. The sky got darker and cloudy. Fadllil Kaafi, a graduate student who is also one of the OSH youth champions assisting the ILO in organizing the event, said that he continued to learn new insights about OSH.

“I am grateful to be involved in the preparing this event with the ILO. We need this kind of event to help us better understanding about issues that are important in our lives as young people, including OSH issues,” he said while tidying up the ILO 100 banner and saying goodbyes to some of his college friends participating in the event.


Disclaimer

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-26690-14-75-K-11.

This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government. One hundred percentage of the total costs of the project or program is financed with Federal funds, for a total of 11,443,156 dollars.