jobber-du-nakenAs you may aware, the current global economic crisis hit the people around the world, massive lay off and cause on increasing unemployment. And young people are the most affected of this crisis not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. ILO predicted that global unemployment could increase to 239 million in this year, it is estimated around 100 million people are in Asia. It is jobs crisis to the real people.

On the global economic crisis, young people were 2.8 times as likely to be unemployed than adults at the global level. For an example in Indonesia with over 38.4 million young women and men between the ages of 15 and 24 years. Youth are five times more likely to be unemployed than their adult counterparts. In Timor Leste, about 48% of the population is youth, the ages from 15 - 29 (2004, population Cencus). Due to violence and political turmoil, its impacts of increasing poverty and illiterate, and a huge informal sector which accounts for over 80 per cent of the working population.

The global financial crisis could push an increasing number of children, particularly girls, risk falling out of education into child labour. Young women and girls, in Asia particularly, drop out from school because parent giving preference of education to boys. Young women face a twin challenges, being female and being young. Culture norm put them as “second class person” who their assign just to caring and responsible for reproductive role instead to access of education.

Most of the young people are in working poverty, vulnerable jobs and migration for better-paying jobs overseas. In Japan, Kar?shi or literally translated death from overworks. Mean many young workers suffer from stress night and day due to overwork from 65 to 70 hours every week. Growing trend for casualty or contracting the public services bring young people to the work as part-time or contract workers with less social security, low wages and vulnerable employment contracts and occupational hazards. For new labour market entrance, young workers face a mismatch between the supply of skills they are able to offer and demand for skills and expertise required by the employers. However, many of them less knowledge about their rights and ability to defend themselves. But also not easy to attracting young workers enter the labour and union movement, their unwillingness to join union causes lower union density in Asia particularly. Negative perceptions of trade union that contribute to not joining: union seems too traditional and too bureaucratic. And union seems to only struggle for their traditional role: wages and working condition.

How union can do to encourage young workers to join and active in union? Young workers still believe in union as agent for change; the quality of public services, improve the quality of workers work life, but union must change on how the way they manage and organise themselves in the current situation and future development. Young workers want that the union to go beyond their traditional roles: a strong and vibrant public sector union that can play and influence politically and economically.

Why trade unions? An interesting video on the opinion of people and group of students investigated by Team Video Productions, why there are trade unions in the workplace, click here.

Union makes you more powerful by stand together and solidarity, we are all in one, click here. We will get more benefits when we are in the union: better contract, better working conditions and improves the lives of working family. And the most important that you are protected against your employer. If you are not in the trade union, it’s like being naked at the workplace (Jobber du naken?)!

Jobber du naked? An interesting campaign aimed specifically for young people to know their rights at the workplace and why it is good for them to join a union. Fagforbundet youth has set up this awareness campaign to promote workers rights and by joining the union young workers will be protected.

It is true that workers who joining the union earn more money, have better benefits and have a voice at work. Why don’t you join the union? if you are already in the union, be active and be participate!