ITUC-Asia Pacific Regional Youth Charter

1. ITUC-Asia PacificRegional Youth Charter ITUC-AP Youth and Education Department ITUC-Asia Pacific

2. Background of Youth Charter: • 7th ICFTU-APRO Youth Committee Meeting, 1-3 December 2005, Bangkok, Thailand • ICFTU-APRO Minimum Demand for Youth • Topic: • Employment and Job Creation • Training and re-training • Wage issue and Working Conditions • Social Safety Nets • Health and Social Issues • Union participation – Youth Activity • ICFTU-APRO Youth Charter adopted, 8th ICFTU-APRO Youth Committee Meeting, 26 August – 1 September 2006. Busan, Korea ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

3. Structure of the Youth Charter: • Trends on employment of young workers • 4 challenges for urgent support needed to youth • 5 demands of ITUC-AP Youth ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

4. Preamble: Decent Work for the Youth • World Youth Unemployment • Girls and Young Women – Disadvantaged • Less Social Security in Informal Economy • No Benefit for Young Workers – Globalisation Deficit = World Trends • Main findings from the Regional Surveys on Young Workers conducted in 2002 and 2004 = Trends in Asia and Pacific region ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

5. Findings from Regional Survey on Young Workers in 2002 and 2004: • Youth Unemployment twice as high as of adults • Mismatch btw. Training/Education & Job Requirement • Shifting to Casual, Atypical, Temporary jobs • Low Organisation Rate of young workers • Social problem such as HIV/AIDS • Challenges for urgent support needed to Youth ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

6. Challenges for urgent support needed to Youth • Employment and Job Creation • Education, Training/re-training and Job-Exchange • Working and Social Lives of the Youth • Trade Union Participation ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

7. Challenges for urgent support needed to Youth 1. Employment and Job Creation • Youth Unemployment rate : 14.4% (Global : 6.2%) • More atypical/informal workforce of Youth • More vulnerable young women • Youth in skill intensive economy (The YEN indication) 2. Education, Training/re-training and Job-Exchange • Less opportunity to Youth, Child Labour • Too fast technological changes • Less vocational training by enterprises and government • Insufficient Job-exchange schemes ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

8. Challenges for urgent support needed to Youth 3. Working and Social Lives of the Youth • Low wage for of Youth (lower than minimum wage, etc.) • Wage gap between men and women • Unfair wage treatment • Social Safety Net needed • Social problems (HIV/AIDS, Drugs, Harassment, etc.) 4. Trade Union Participation • Low participation of Youth in trade union due to little knowledge of the importance of trade union • Aging trade union – generation gap • Voice of Youth not reflected • Union not attractive to Youth ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

9. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: (General Policy Guidelines and National Actions) • Creation of job opportunity to promote youth employment • Vocational training, retraining and promotion of employability • Decent working conditions and Social Safety Nets • To fight against poverty, HIV/AIDS and drugs for decent social lives • More Youth participation in trade unions ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

10. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: • Creation of job opportunity to promote youth employment General Policy Guidelines: • Consensus among social partners on Decent jobs • Macro economic policy for quality employment • ILO, UN, IFI, etc. should take up youth • Youth structure in the national centre National Actions: • Demand government for more employment opportunity • Suggest national centre to fund Job match campaign • Hold campaign on decent job for youth • Gender equality ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

11. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: 2. Vocational training, retraining & promotion of employability General Policy Guidelines: • Promotion of employability for technological changes • Adequate resources for training scheme • Quality skill training scheme • No Child Labour National Actions: • Organize education seminar on workers’ rights • Increase national youth activities • Seminars for youth parents • Approach government to address needs ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

12. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: 3. Decent Working Conditions and Social Safety Nets General Policy Guidelines: • Equal pay for equal work for youth • Adequate wage for decent quality of living and employment • Public Social Safety Nets National Actions: • Enhance relations with neighbouring national centres • Organise rally for fundamental rights • Lobby in the parliament • Hold Campaign for equal value of work • Support MDGs ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

13. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: 4. To fight against poverty, HIV/AIDS, drug for decent lives General Policy Guidelines: • Awareness campaign • Eliminate Discrimination against HIV/AIDS • GCAP National Actions: • Hold awareness programmes, HIV/AIDS campaign • Suggest to put Youth Minister • Hold seminar on poverty issue • Ask more partnership with private and public sector • Tie with HR commission / authority against harassment ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

14. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: 5. More Youth Participation in trade unions General Policy Guidelines: • Recruit Strategy for youth • Youth representation at all level of governing body • Gender balance ensured • Comprehensive youth policy • Union education and training programmes • Opportunities for exchange experiences • National youth rally • Global, Regional and National campaign for youth ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

15. The Youth of ITUC-AP demands: 5. More Youth Participation in trade unions National Actions: • Hold Youth Committee more regularly • Put youth representative to national Executive Body • Get a seat of delegates in the congress • Ensure young worker issue at forefront • Continue training programmes for youth • Promote more funding for youth activities • Restructure National Centre to attract and encourage young people to join the union • Organize new industries i.e. digital media, biochemical • Hold more recruitment campaign • Consider how to implement ITUC-Youth Charter ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter

16. Thank you! ITUC-AP Regional Youth Charter