Eleven youth coordinators representing six countries with PSI affiliates in the Southeast Asia Sub-region (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) gathered for their 3rd Network Meeting in Phuket Thailand on March 11, 2010. This meeting was under the theme of Youth United, Strong Network. The Southeast Asia Youth Network (SEAYN) encourages collaboration and cooperation among youth and to youth which aims to share information, resources and to promote greater engagement and participation of young workers in the public sector union movement. The theme is intended to assess and re-map the effectiveness of the network based on the needs to tackle the issues of young people in this sub-region: (1) Youth Employment; (2) Participation and Recognition of Union; (3) Social Protection; (4) Rights at Work. Eross Ocampo, Sub-regional Network Coordinator, who chaired and facilitated the meeting, reminded that “we need greater participation as an active network by young workers to young workers!”. He welcomed new coordinators and hoped they would be as active as their predecessor.

The meeting concluded with the recommendation that the proposals be submitted to the Southeast Asia Sub-regional Advisory Committee for their consideration and support.

Related Files

Agenda and Worksheets (Word Document)
3rd SEA Youth Network Meeting Report

With the objective of reaching out to more youths and strengthening the East Asia family, the very first East Asia Youth Network was convened on 2 March 2010 in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia. At the meeting, subregional secretary of East Asia, Mr Koichi Ito, introduced the PSI youth policy and resolution 20 which had been adopted by the Executive Board on succession planning and on its main purpose and also on how the East Asia region will be  supporting PSI activities and goals for the benefit of the young workers.

Ms. V. Lakshmi, our newly appointed Regional Secretary also spoke to the young workers representatives in support of the PSI youth policy, its main aims, campaigns and activities. She said “by strengthening solidarity with other sub-regions and regions, we will be able to preserve, as well as nurture, the next generation by sharing experiences and knowledge.”

Ms. Tan Sze Wei, APYN coordinator then followed up with a presentation on the Asia Pacific Youth Network and its activities and goals. She shared what the Network had done, explained how the APYN began and described the impact the Network has had up till today. Without a doubt, the APYN had a formidable outreach and the participants were certainly impressed and all pledged to build it up further. None of us doubted that we as young workers have a very relevant and important role to play for the future of the labour movement.

Many new friendships were forged as young worker representatives from the East Asian affiliates: Japan, Mongolia,  South Korea and Taiwan shared issues relating to young workers from their countries and mingled among themselves freely. They sincerely hope that the meeting will continue to be held annually.

The new Network elected their new coordinators: Ms. Hong Soo Jung from KNEW, Korea and Ms. Tomohiro Hasegawa from JPSU, Japan. They will work together with other coordinators in this region. This above report was prepared by Tan Sze Wei participating on behalf of APYN. For more information, please contact Mr. Koichi Ito, EA Sub-regional Secretary: itok@psi-jc.jp

By Pebbles B. Sanchez, Youth Committee of the Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU)

Growing in a family of public servants, I had the privilege to witness various undertakings of and within the government whenever I went to visit the offices of my parents. Through years and years of observing a typical day of a bureaucrat and having indulged myself in the study of public administration, I have concluded that working in and for the Philippine government is not as simple as it appears to be.

Distrust has clouded the image of a bureaucrat. The culture of red tape and inefficiency has been attached not only with the systems followed by the government but also with the work force that runs its engine. People have come to think that government employees lack the enthusiasm to serve and the competence to deliver outputs. However, there is something more to this picture. There are several reasons why government employees appear to be laidback and tend to be lenient. 

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By Katie Rowsell, CPSU Organiser (Australia) and PSI Oceania Youth Network Coordinator

Once upon a time there was a new generation of worker. They were focused and knew what they wanted out of their careers. They had a high level of education, and equally high levels of student debt. They were technologically savvy and were frustrated when their parents couldn’t work the DVD player. They had been brought up by parents - both working and earning an income and who wanted their children to have EVERYTHING! When this generation started school, girls and boys alike were told “You can be anything you want to be” and they were confident that this was indeed the case. They basically got taught that they were the centre of their own little universe.

Suddenly, the new generation workers left the cocoon of family life and education and stepped out into the big wide world. The previous generations of workers could not understand them. They seemed to have no loyalty, flitting from job to job for more pay. Lifestyle came before their duty to work. They even checked that new fangled thing called Facebook during work time! The older generations thought “We’ll just have to ignore them and hope they grow up some day.”

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“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.” – Kofi Annan 

by Ms. Tan Sze Wei, APYN Coordinator

The 2009 Durban review conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland from 20 to 24 April 2009 to evaluate progress towards the goals set by the 3rd World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimnation, xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in Durban, South Africa in 2001. As I was in Geneva to attend PSI constitutional meetings in the same period, I took some time to attend parallel events for the conference in the afternoon of 20 April 09.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), together with International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and other trade unions, held the side event “Combating racism in the world of work” on 20 April 2009 at 3pm. The session was chaired by Mr Kari Tapiola, ILO Executive Director, Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work sector, ILO and the panelists were, Ms Gulnara Shahinian, United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Ms Kamalam from the International Trade Union Confederation, Equality Department, Mr Sipho Ndebele from the Government of South Africa and Mr Khulile Nkushubana, General Secretary of the Confederation of South African Workers Union. In total, there were more than 60 trade unions under the leadership of ITUC, together ! with GUFs such as PSI who had come to lobby for equal treatment regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, social status etc at the workplace. All of us firmly believed that there should be employment equity in terms of recruitment, wages and promotion etc.

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“Women and youth have similar impacts on market liberalisation and privatisation, in particularly public services. In many countries, there are gap between the poor and the rich. Decent work on gender equality and youth should be the center of the labour market, ” said Ms. Masako Uemoto, AP WOC Vice-Chair on her message opened Asia Pacific Regional Organisation joint workshop ” Trade Union, Gender and Youth”. The joint workshop was organised by AP Women’s Committee, AP Youth Network and Cambodian affiliate union was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 6th April 2009. Forty nine participants were actively involved on discussion and sharing to carry out the objective of the workshop:

• To strengthen the efforts promoting gender equality and equal opportunities;
• To coordinate the exchange information and share best experience on strengthening the committee/network;
• To work on responding common global trends affecting women and youth

Two resource persons was invited, Mr. Alonzo G. Suson (ACILS, Country Program Director in Cambodia) - click here for his presentation - and Mr. Nuon Veasna (ILO Workers’ Education Project in Cambodia) and presented situation regarding Cambodia Labour Movement and the Trade Union Rights of Public Sector Workers in Cambodia - click here  for his presentation -.  Continue reading →