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CIU on Mobilisation of World Social Forum in Manila

CIU, PSI affilkiated union in Philippines, joined for the mobilization last January 26 culminating activities of World Social Forum simultaneous with celebrations on other parts of the world.World Social Forum (WSF) is the answer to the World Economic Forum of rich countries, top corporations, capitalist and rich individuals who meets every year at Davos, Switzerland to tackle world issues such as climate change and economy among others.

The WSF was formed to counter this gathering by way of projecting the true nature of the economy in the developing copuntries such as the Phils. including issues on privatization, contractualization, urban poor, public services, human rights and all the rest that reflects the gloomy and real situation of our country.

The activities from the 23rd of this month includes forum, mobilization at the skyway protesting contractualization and the march from Plaza Miranda to Mendiola which was halted by the police at the corner of Morayta and C.M. Recto The same was participated in by the APL, FDC, PM, BMP and other progressive organizations which were mainly from the KONTRA coalition (anti privatization, anti contractualization). News came out of tabloids and broadsheets.

For more info, please contact Mike Maga (General Secretary of CIU): miguelmagajr@yahoo.com

ILO projects global economic turbulence could generate five million more unemployed in 2008

ILO projects global economic turbulence could generate five million more unemployed in 2008

Economic turbulence largely due to credit market turmoil and rising oil prices could spur an increase in global unemployment by an estimated 5 million persons in 2008, according to the ILO's annual Global Employment Trends report (GET). ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, speaking on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos, called this year’s global jobs picture "one of contrasts and uncertainty".

In South East Asia and Pacific over the period 1997 to 2007, the unemployment rate for young people increased by 6.3 percentage points, the highest increase in the world. The situation in 2007 was almost as bad for young men as for young women (page 27). In East Asia increased total employment in 2007 by 7.5 million (0.9 per cent more compared the previous year). East Asia is the lowest youth unemployment in the world due to decreasin trend.

Check the complete report at (PDF, English): Global Employment Trends - 2008

United Nations World Youth Report 2007

The World Youth Report 2007 examines the challenges and opportunities existing for the roughly 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the world. Distinct from the 2003 and 2005 editions, it provides a regional overview summarizing the major youth development trends in the fifteen priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth. The report explores major issues of concern to youth development, including employment, education, health, poverty and violence. At the same time, it highlights youth as a positive force for development and provides recommendations for supporting their essential contributions.

Introduction
Chapters: (PDF Versions)

Asian youth in the context of rapid globalization
Latin American youth in an era of socio-economic and political change
Overcoming the barriers of poverty: challenges for youth participation in sub-Saharan Africa
Labour force participation among youth in the Middle East and North Africa and the special challenges faced by young women
Tackling the poverty of opportunity in small island developing States
Labour market challenges and new vulnerabilities for youth in economies in transition
Opportunities for youth development in developed market economies: An unequal playing field
Ensuring youth development around the world: The way forward

1st Asia Pacific Youth Network (AP-YN) Meeting in Bali 8th April 2008

The first AP Youth Network (AP-YN) meeting will be held in Denpasar, Bali on 8th April 2008 prior to the APREC Meeting. Coordinators from each sub-region will be participated in this meeting.

We need your input to set up platform of the meeting, please send to us your input for the meeting to indah.budiarti@world-psi.org

South Asia Youth Forum Networking “Strengthen the union future and development next generation”

PSI believes that the organisational future of unions depends on organising young workers and unions must address the special interests and concerns of these workers. Young workers need to be given the opportunity to become involved in union work and be mobilised to support trade union rights issues. Unions must ensure that they have appropriate representation within union structures and negotiating teams.

Considering PSI changed its rules to give young workers representation position in the new composition of the PSI Executive Board and to reform the constitution to include affirmative action measures established at the sub-regional, regional and international level, PSI South Asia Sub-regional office facilitated and organised for the first NETWORKING FORUM ON YOUTH. The forum was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 5th January 2008. 20 young people from all five countries affiliated to PSI – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - (11 female and 9 male) active participated to share their knowledge and experiences in a Youth Network Forum as part of PSI South Asia Quality Public Services Campaign. Sister Lakshmi, South Asia Sub-regional Secretary, said that the policy changed not just only put young people but how we have capable and responsible young people to represent themselves in the structures. To take into action and set up young workers networking among the affiliated unions in South Asia, this networking forum provided them to:

• develop a platform for young people in South Asia
• give opportunities to identify and discuss their problem
• understanding the commitment and the sustainability of the youth structures in the unions and their
• identify ideal structures for youth in the national, sub-regional, regional and global level from the sub-regional
• identify the areas of capacity building for the young people
  

The agenda were divided into five sessions that provide them the space to explore and sharing in the issues on: Asia Pacific Young Workers Network (PSI AP-YN) and the Asia Pacific Strategic on developing and organising their young members; Young people and globalization, and; Young people as leaders of trade union but why young people are not interested in joining unions: The key inputs for the youth network was to make aware PSI initiatives to integrate youth in the public sector trade union movement through Asia Pacific Youth Net from this year 2008. This would be affected by the participation of young people in the Regional and sub regional committees and also to the PSI global EB. Youth to youth, a youth web blog will be the communication tool to facilitate the network. Further the young people were given an idea about the globalization, the process, the impacts and challenges and the young people’s role in re shaping the globalization to the advantage of the young people. The role of young people in adopting the leadership responsibilities and their apprehension.

In the group work session, the participants divided into three and discussed the key questions on networking issues: (1) young people and the rights; (2) young people and gender issues, and; (3) Young people and governance issues. Fundamental Rights, gender and good governance are related issues for the young workers and relevant to trade union. They discussed on what capacity is required to implement the rights, how young workers capacity can be built on gender issues and promote gender equality. The issues related to good governance, they discussed on what are the issues on governance which can be taken by trade union and what are the capacity building areas for young workers in governance issues.

Herewith the result of the three interactive workshops as above mentioned:

In order to promote good governance, equality and rights for young people the young people recommended an integrated action plan which provides for:

· Developing a trade union culture of organizing the young people
· Provide opportunities for networking
· Intensive training and education
· Sharing of responsibilities in organizational matters
· Sustainable youth structures to manage youth activities
· Provisions in the constitutions
· Succession planning in the unions
· Raising social consciousness on quality public services sans corruption
· Promote quality trade union movement which is transparent, accountable to its members and the society
· Capacity building to deal with the challenges presented by the globalization on employment, health, environment and socio cultural aspects

Young Workers participated in the Asia Pacific Quality Public Services Workshop, Manila 12-14 December 2007

73 delegates, 8 of them was young workers, from a range of sectors covering electricity, water, health, municipal, and public administration assembled in Manila city from December 12 to December 14, 2007 to develop an action plan for the QPS in the Asia Pacific Region. The delegates keenly listened to the background of QPS as the overarching campaign of PSI in its 100th year. In order to achieve QPS, global objectives and strategies devised and approved by the PSI Congress in September 2007. QPS workshop is organised in Manila in conjunction with the ongoing PSI advocacy work with the ADB for the recognition and greater role of public sector trade unions and labour issues. This dialogue session on 11 Dec.2007 assisted the ADB to gain a better understanding of the role of unions and the PSI gained a better understanding of the ADB accountability processes and projects in the PSI related sectors.

The QPS workshop for 3 days identified key issues and challenges in the Asia Pacific Region in the 4 essential sectors of PSI namely utilities and infrastructure, Health services, Municipal and related services, Public Administration. A wide range of challenges and issues related to the 4 sub regions and commonly summarized are the deterioration of public services due to poor funding, lack of staff, working conditions, casualisation, contracting, young workers issues, gender issues and workers rights to organise.

Tan Sze Wei, AP Young Workers Representative, and other young delagates raised respective issues concerning young workers in the public services in their own countries and in general situation of young workers, and appeal to include young workers in the PSI Quality Public Services Campaign.