News

Subject: Keep up the good work – fight precarity and reclaim the future!



Submitted by: ver.di Youth, Germany

Motion Text:

The trade unions, and thus also young trade unionists, face an enormous challenge in Europe. The working and living conditions of millions of Europeans are caught up in the wake of what is referred to as the casualisation or precarisation of employment. We are confronted with a far-reaching crisis of social security systems, increasing uncertainty, people being deprived of their rights, and the destandardisation of employment contracts.



The casualisation of working conditions began with the extension of agency or temporary work, fixed-term and low-paid employment, the imposition of part-time work, dependent self-employment, and mini-jobs falling outside the scope of collective agreements which have been promoted through social policy; in a nutshell, all forms of employment that not provide access to sustainable livelihoods and which fall well below accepted levels of income and protection. These jobs offer no security and no prospects, and are nothing short of exploitation.



Young people are increasingly faced with existential anxiety – the fear of falling off the social ladder. As they look for a trainee position or a job, they find themselves in a weak bargaining position vis-à-vis potential employers. Unfortunately, this fear is often what leads many into agency work, internships or seriously underpaid jobs. Young people are increasingly forced to sell themselves below their market value in order to gain work experience and to broaden their skills.



Casualisation is not a natural process



Casualisation affects all workers – it is a lever which, due to the trickle-down effect, is being used to cut back all labour and social rights as well as social standards. As young trade unionists, we know that casualisation in Europe is not part of a natural process; it is politically driven and therefore it is also reversible. UNI-Europa Youth sees itself as part of an anti-neo-liberal alliance which has taken up the fight for a better life in Europe. Europe is currently the project of a neo-liberal elite. They are using the present Europeanisation process to push for capital-oriented and anti-labour reforms in the member states. The reforms, which are usually prepared in a black box out of view, have far-reaching consequences for the future prospects of young Europeans. Europe is being casualised. More and more ordinary jobs which come with social security benefits are being turned into badly-paid marginal jobs (so-called mini and midi jobs) that offer no social protection. Education is being “commodified” and as a result many people are being deprived of a future.



It is the task of trade unions and their youth organisations to become active – or more active in this area. We, too, as UNI-Europa Youth, must become more involved in the process of shaping a social Europe.



More specifically, what this means for UNI-Europa Youth is the following:



· Affiliates must engage at the local level to raise awareness about and to combat casualised work

· Through their representatives on supervisory boards and on staff committees or works councils, more must be done to highlight the importance of creating apprenticeship and jobs in their companies.

· In collective negotiations, agreements should also specifically provide for an increase in the number of apprenticeship and jobs for young people.

· At the company level, every effort must be made to prevent regular jobs being casualised. A clear distinction must be made between work experience positions and regular jobs.

· Education is a key element in the fight against the causes of youth unemployment. This is why affiliates must work towards the creation of initial and further apprenticeship both in-house and external.



Reason:

Casualisation is having a definite impact, forcing wages down and destroying the protection that workers once enjoyed. The new jobs are precarious and offer no prospects for the future. The share of national income accounted for by wages has fallen still further, and in some countries real wages have also come down.



Poverty and social exclusion in Europe – which is, after all, the second richest region in the world – has reached frightening proportions. As the social polarisation in Europe continues to increase, the number and wealth of millionaires and billionaires seems to know no bounds.



The European Union has so far reacted by adopting regulations, such as the European Qualification Framework (EQF). In February 2008, the EU decided that qualifications and skills needed to be made comparable across Europe as a whole. The purpose is to make it easier for people to move from one country to another, and to ensure that the flexibility of young people opens doors for them in their own country, but also throughout Europe. As with many other reforms aimed at finding pan-European solutions, the EQF could end up being subverted and used for selection purposes as well as capital-oriented interests. The university reform ushered in with the Bologna process has had a negative effect on the lives of students in many countries; now, the same thing is about to happen to the vocational training sector.



Trade unionists must demand a strong voice in shaping processes in Europe.



Adopted with changes