JUNE 2013

YOUTH TO YOUTH
Youth to Youth is the Asia Pacific news bulletin for young members in the region. It is published every two months by the Public Services International Asia Pacific Regional Organisation (PSI-APRO). To contribute or subscribe to this bulletin, please contact: [email protected]
Public Services International Asia Pacific Regional Organisation Regional Secretary: Ms. V. Lakshmi Wisma AUPE, 295 Upper Paya Lebar Road Singapore 534929 Tel: +65.6282.3219 Fax +65.6280.4919 E-mail: [email protected]

Working for greater inclusion of youth in Public Services International

In May, Ms. Katie Rowsell, Asia Pacific Youth Network Coordinator, attended meetings of the PSI Womens Committee (WOC) as an observer, and the Executive Board (EB) where she is a titular member. The meetings were held in Geneva, Switzerland. It was a great opportunity to lobby for better inclusion of young workers in PSI activities. At the WOC, Ms. Juneia Batista, (FETAM-SP), Brazil, was unanimously elected as Chair. The meeting identified regional priorities and members shared experiences. The Executive Board made important decisions on many matters, including PSIs budget and a small increase in affiliation fees. Other discussions included the need for progressive taxation, participation in the International Labour Conference (ILC), and making PSI priorities specific activities. Katie reported to the Board that while there had been a strong call for a formal youth network during the World Congress in Durban in 2012, attempts at consultation with attendees was not very successful and the priority had switched to mainstreaming youth into PSI activities. Even though the 30% quota for inclusion of youth in PSI is no longer part of the Programme of Action (POA), this target still needs to be a priority. Katie asked Executive Board members to imagine what the meeting would look like in 10 or 15 years. Who would still be there? Consciously including youth now is crucial for PSIs future capacity. She also discussed future activities and goals, including working towards a Youth Day activity in August. This years theme is Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth. A network is still very much a priority but at this stage it would be more of a sharing and development resource using social media. She asked EB participants to show support by assisting in the identification of young leaders and encouraging mainstreaming. She encouraged affiliates to complete PSIs mapping questionnaire, and implored the room to translate their strong support into helping young people to participate meaningfully in PSI. The benefits are huge for all of us, said Katie, they go from capacity building to sustainability and growth. Dave Prentis, PSI President, agreed that the Executive Board should endorse youth priorities and incorporate them into PSIs priorities. The support and encouragement from the room was heartening and the PSI youth leaders are hopeful of real progress this year. For full details of this report, contact [email protected]

The new youth opportunities in Myanmar

Since 2011, Myanmar has been undergoing a period of gradual reforms and international sanctions are being lifted. Economic and social changes are spreading throughout the country, which in turn is creating new opportunities for young people and youth employment. In this video, Ms. Sandar Soe of the FTUB and Mr. Steve Marshall of the International Labour Organization (ILO) discuss how young people can attain these new opportunities, and how we can ensure that they are sustainable. Read the discussion summary, click here
Public Services International (PSI) is a global trade union federation representing 20 million working women and men who deliver vital public services in 150 countries. PSI works with the United Nations system and in partnership with labour, civil society and other organisations.
Website www.world-psi.org/ | Twitter https://twitter.com/PSIglobalunion | Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Public-Services-International/56171560717

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EPSU Youth Network Meeting

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The fourth meeting of the EPSU Youth network took place at the UNISON Headquarters in London on April 4, 2013. The participants represented unions in the UK, Finland, Norway, Italy, Turkey, Montenegro, Latvia, Hungary, Belarus and Romania from all EPSU sectors.
EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC and comprises 8 million public service workers from over 265 trade unions; EPSU organises workers in the energy, water and waste sectors, health and social services and local and national administration, in all European countries including in the EUs Eastern Neighborhood. EPSU is the recognized regional organization of Public Services International (PSI).

The meeting was opened by UNISON assistant General Secretary Karen Jennings who described the situation in Britain for young workers in the public sector and the effects of the austerity measures of the coalition government and well as the long standing links with EPSU and the European trade union movement. Young members of the network have started to prepare the EPSU congress in 2014 and continue the ongoing discussion on the future of the network.

Participants presented reports on meetings they had attended as well as two working groups (one to prepare a proposal from the network to EPSU for future actions, and one to prepare the upcoming Youth conference). To read more about the report, please click here.

Global Labour University offers master programme for trade unionists

If you are considering furthering your education, try Global Labour University (GLU). The GLU offers tailor-made Masters programmes and short-term postgraduate courses on labour and globalisation for trade unionists at partner universities in Brazil, Germany, India, and South Africa. At each campus, trade unionists from many different countries study together in a multinational environment. The curricula have been developed in a series of joint international workshops of trade unions, the ILO and the academic partners, and address issues such as macroeconomics and wage policies, multinational companies and trade unions, international labour standards and global governance, trade union revitalisation and organising the informal sector. The academic qualification programmes are closely linked to internships with labour organisations at national and international level. This gives participants the opportunity to experience the work of trade unions in different countries and combine their research work with the real worlds needs, and campaigns of trade union organisations. Please check the application deadline for the programme: http://www.global-labour-university.org/

Young AUPE: Roll up your sleeves - and give blood

In Singapore more than 10,000 units of blood are needed to meet the transfusion needs of patients every year. This is equivalent to more than 350 units of blood per a day, to help keep supplies strong. Many people are being asked to become blood donors, and the Young Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (YAUPE) decided to encourage its members to sign up at the Blood Donation Drive organised by a Health Science Authority (HSA) Blood bank on 18 May 2013 in Singapore. YAUPE Chairperson, Ms. Surianah Sufarman, said we are very pleased with the members enthusiasm to roll up their sleeves and lift the blood donation rate in Singapore. This activity was part of YAUPEs social service commitment to the larger community. They are looking forward to even more donors from YAUPE participating in the next blood donation drive.

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Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013: A generation at risk

The ILO Global Employment Trends 2013 examines the continuing job crisis affecting young people in many parts of the world. Some 73 million young people are estimated to be unemployed in 2013. Behind this worsening figure, the report shows persistent unemployment, a proliferation of temporary jobs and growing youth discouragement in advanced economies; and poor quality, informal, subsistence jobs in developing countries. The weakening of the global recovery in 2012 and 2013 has further aggravated the youth jobs crisis and the queues for available jobs have become longer and longer for some unfortunate jobseekers. So long, in fact, that many youth are giving up on the job search. The ILO report stressed that for those young people who do find work, the outcome is often far from ideal. In developing countries, those found the jobs tends to low quality, irregular, low wage jobs, and often in the informal economy. Therefore, these young people have no access to social protection. It is clear that solutions urgently need to be found, and governments, employer and worker organizations must take immediate, targeted and renewed action to tackle the youth unemployment crisis. Young people represent the promise of changing societies for the better. Persistent youth unemployment and underemployment carry very high social and economic costs and threaten the fabric of our societies. Failure to generate sufficient decent jobs can result in long-lasting scarring effects on young people. Investing in youth is investing in the present and future of our societies.

New Zealand workers are under attack

Workers in New Zealand are facing yet another attack on their wages and conditions of work. The government is proposing to weaken the Employment Relations Act. This follows changes the government has already made cutting youth pay rates, reducing union access, limiting the scope of appeals against unfair dismissal, and removing rights for workers in their first 90 days of employment. The latest changes are in a bill that will be debated in parliament in coming months and will be the subject of an active campaign by unions. The main effect of the changes will be to reduce wages and conditions by weakening the rules on collective bargaining. Low wages are already pushing thousands and thousands of Kiwis to leave for Australia with a record loss in the last year. These changes will make it even worse. Read more at Equal Times

Are you old enough to be paid fairly?

In Australian society you are considered to be an adult when you turn 18. But this is not the case in many workplaces, reflecting a bygone era when turning 21 was the criteria for full adult wages. It's time all Australian workplaces reflected current culture and so the Australian Services Union (ASU) has recently made a submission in the case to vary the General Retail Industry Award 2010, one of the last bastions of junior rates for adults, to ensure all Australian adults, 18 years old and up, are paid adult wages. ASU members are affected by this age based discrimination not just in the retail and administrative sectors, but also in local government, in airlines, in call centres and the legal services sector. Are 18 to 20 year olds being used as cheap labour in exchange for adult levels of work performance in these sectors? The ASU believes that the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value cannot let this stand. Therefore ASU has strongly supported the Australian Congress of Trade Union (ACTU) submissions for the staged elimination of junior wages for workers aged 18 and above. For more information, please click here

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PSI leader Rosa Pavanelli addresses International Labour Conference

Rosa Pavanelli, speaking at the International Labour Conference on 6 June 2013, says, "PSI welcomes the report by the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards, and the excellent work done by the Committee of Experts. We want to underline the importance of the ILOs supervisory mechanism and the role it plays in modernizing labour relations systems. Whereas in some countries, like South Korea, the government employees union (KGEU) is denied registration, in Algeria autonomous unions are suppressed by the government and in Guatemala health workers are being killed without anybody being arrested for those heinous crimes. In the US, attacks on labour rights have lowered union density to the lowest rates since 1900; degradation and attacks upon pensions for public sector and health workers persist, especially among working and retired women. In the UK, strike laws are amongst the strictest in Europe. We support the Turkish government employees that are now being threatened to be fired for participating in demonstrations and actions, claiming the civil and political rights that the ILO conventions protect." Read Rosa's speech to the ILC here and also update yourself with the PSI news at 102nd International Labour Conference (ILC).

Why the private sector kills more than it cures

This briefing paper produced by PSIRU, draws on recent research to show that the private healthcare sector is not more efficient and effective than the public healthcare sector. The research is drawn from studies of countries at different levels of development and income. Click here for the report.

Ride for workers' rights follows 'Route of Shame'

Trade unionists from all over the world joined PSIs Route of Shame bicycle ride for workers rights and social justice to show solidarity with other workers that are fighting for their rights! The Route of Shame took place during the 102nd International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva on 12 June. It was a strong message from trade unionists who visited missions and embassies in Geneva, Switzerland to draw attention to countries which consistently violate workers rights. Countries of specific concern for PSI members include Algeria, Egypt, South Korea, Guatemala, Botswana, Bangladesh, Columbia and Turkey. The ride also highlighted violations in Russia, Canada, Nigeria, Iran, Paraguay, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Honduras, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Mauritania and Greece. PSI General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli says, A concerted attack on the public sector is taking place on a global scale, both in emerging economies where PSI affiliates struggle for full recognition of workers rights, and in many other countries through austerity and privatisation measures that weaken trade unions and workers rights. We demand social justice and the protection of workers rights, instead of societies that violate human rights as a rule. For more info, see The Route of Shame facebook page.

Take the young workers survey and grow our network!

PSIs Asia Pacific Regional office is conducting a Short Survey of Youth as part of the Asia Pacific Youth Network (APYN) work plan. Please take the time to respond now as this information is vital for the future of the AP Youth Network. Please fill out the short survey now at this link here or contact Ms. Indah Budiarti to get the form: [email protected]