Young workers participated in two-day workshops in Bangladesh and India to identify their priorities in the five demands of the new social contract – jobs, rights, social protection, equality and inclusion.
Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific, inaugurated the two workshops and highlighted the importance of promoting the leadership of women and youth in the trade union movement. He said:
“Trade unions must also promote the participation of women, youth and other groups that have not been counted in the leadership and general activities of trade unions. Building youth and women’s leadership and participation will not only foster diversity and equality, but will also enhance trade unions’ organisational sustainability.”
In India, young workers discussed the key challenges of informalisation in various sectors, including services, care, and shipbreaking. They also tackled the issue relevant to women workers, such as the elimination of violence and harassment at work through the ratification of the ILO Convention 190 as well as the organising of informal women workers. Moreover, they looked deeply into the issues of child labour and the future of work in the manufacturing and mining sectors.
Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, young workers elaborated their roles, priorities, and action plans to address the issues of occupational health and safety, climate change, and Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, they tackled the plight and demands of young migrant workers from Bangladesh.
With a clear understanding of the five key demands for a new social contract for recovery and resilience, young workers were able to identify their priorities and develop respective action plans to pursue them nationally.
The workshop in India was held on 26-27 October 2022 while the workshop in Bangladesh happened on 4-5 November 2022.
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