News

At the UNI Europa Youth Seminar 2014 in Athens, Greece, young trade unionists representing at least 17 countries across Europe met for two days of area meetings, presentations, panel discussions, and workshops to address priority topics for young workers. The so-called crisis and the effects of subsequent austerity measures on young people, the growing trends of internships and apprenticeships, and the negative impacts of privatization on young workers in the union movement in Europe were shared concerns for the group.  

Although the affects and the consequences of these troubling trends were the topic of much discussion throughout the seminar, the young activists used each workshop as a platform for generating ideas and practical solutions to the problems they saw. 

In the austerity workshop, some participants noted many differences in opinion as to what would be the best solution to the crisis in Europe. However, there was general consensus that there was an exodus of skilled labour from struggling economies to more stable ones, causing an unfair burden on those countries with more social programmes in place. Thus, to fairly address the needs of young people throughout Europe, unions should advocate for more consistent policies surrounding collective bargaining and union membership. The overwhelming opinion of participants was that collective bargaining agreements must be more sensitive to the new working conditions facing young people, and gain youths’ trust back by providing them with meaningful seat at the table.

In the workshop addressing internships and apprenticeships, the attention was on how to ensure that work-training opportunities do not replace entry level positions and become a new exploitable precarious work force. The conclusion participants reached was overwhelmingly in favour of the creation of more standards, mandatory stipends included in all work-training programmes, and union support and inclusion of young trainees in collective bargaining agreements.

The privatization workshop similarly focused on the role of unions, specifically; how the power of collective action and collective bargaining could be maximized to stimulate positive change in a new world of work with young people facing stagnate work prospects.

With the conclusion of the seminar, UNI Europa Youth recognize that the solutions generated in the workshops are just the first steps to achieving meaningful employment for all young people, and that youth must be proactive in gaining the support from leaders and decision makers. With young people on the verge of becoming a lost generation – and they have not been lost yet! – the role of unions has never been more critical to helping millions of youth escape ‘precarity’ and unemployment.