News

UNI-Europa Youth are committed to a Europe that not only espouses equality, solidarity, democracy and peace for all of its citizens but one that actually makes this goal a reality. We are committed to a Europe that is free from war, exploitation, discrimination and racism and we will strive to prevent and highlight these injustices whenever they occur.



UNI-Europa Youth believes in a European Union that concentrates more on the social aspects of its citizen’s lives rather than the economic interests of the big multinational companies and a European Union that delivers on a fair and genuine work life balance.



UNI-Europa Youth believe that there is scarcely a basic right that people have today that was not fought for and won by Trade Union members. The history and traditions of the labour movement are the pillars of the UNI-Europa Youth work. We shall remember our history and the battles that we have won, but at the same time we shall look towards the future and keep the pressure up for improving the working and living conditions of young workers, but also, without new members being recruited and becoming active these conditions could easily be eroded away instead of being improved. We oppose this downward spiral with a certified basic right to professional education, with Europe wide youth and trainee associations and staff associations as well as inter-sectoral ‘decent living’ wages. We insist on agreed standards, which create future perspectives for young people. We say: ‘Solidarity rather than self interests!



PARTICIPATION



UNI-Europa Youth believe that the recruitment of new members, especially young people, into Trade Unions should form the main aim of its Action Plan for 2009 – 2011.

To reach this goal, we encourage UNI Europa affiliates to integrate young members into their structures and decision making bodies and to focus their efforts on fighting for the needs of the young working class in Europe. The partaking in unionised decision making and implementation processes can contribute significantly to the acquisition of new members.



The incoming UNI-Europa Youth Steering Group will aim to develop a campaign that will highlight the benefits of and necessity for young people joining and becoming active in Trade Unions. The youth has the opportunity and the responsibility to shape the future of its union here.



The incoming UNI-Europa Youth Steering Group will aim to assist all the affiliate unions of UNI-Europa in the recruitment of young workers by: compiling new material and republishing UNI’s “Youth Organising Booklet”, as an e-booklet which will highlight methods of best practice in recruiting young workers. In this regard the exchange amongst members and member associations should be organized and encouraged. One way to do this could be a forum on the web page.



The UNI Secretariat, with the assistance of the incoming UNI-Europa Youth Steering Group, will continue to organise the UNI-Europa Youth Summer School with the aims of providing young trade union activists with the necessary skills, tools and inspiration needed to become more active within the trade union movement.



The incoming steering group with the aid of the UNI Secretariat will devise and implement this campaign and further activities. The member associations shall be actively involved.





COMMUNICATION



The incoming UNI-Europa Youth Steering Group will continue to seek new, effective and innovative ways of communicating between the steering group, affiliate unions and each UNI Youth member, so that all young members of UNI can be kept informed of what is happening in UNI-Europa Youth. The communication must be based on transparency, openness and the willingness to co-operate in order to enable active participation and decision making of all members of the UNI-Europe Youth. In order to achieve these goals we will:



· submit ideas and suggestions, to UNI-Europa, ways of improving the UNI-Europa Youth Website



· establish and continue to strengthen the UNI Youth Network



· encourage all the affiliates of UNI Europa to allow there young members actively participate in the work of UNI-Europa youth



· actively seek cooperation with other relevant international organisations within the labour movement



· investigate ways of informing UNI-Europa and its affiliates about the problems that young workers face in the modern day workplace and supply them with ideas that we may have as to our vision for the future of the Trade Union movement



We will encourage and assist all affiliate Unions, at their request, to put in place Youth structures, where they do not already exist.



Stand Up For Your Rights





Adopted