The International Week of Young Workers is celebrated every year by the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) from the 24th of April to the 1st of May. It was first celebrated in 1970 as the National Week of Young Workers by the Brazilian YCW.
In 1983 during the International Council of IYCW in Madrid Spain, the International Week was adopted as one of the main events at the international level. Since then, the IYCW promoted it in all countries where it is present as a training, organizational, and demanding means for young workers. During this week, the young workers conduct different activities to share and analyse their situations, express their convictions, strengthen friendship, and participate in actions to claim their rights. Therefore, this week ends up with May 1st demonstrations, which will be organised virtually this year.
The working class in Brazil is suffering from serious setbacks that affect everyone especially the youth. Facing the current scenario, we are called to unify our voices and actions. As a mark of this challenge, we invite all young people and all people in solidarity with our struggle for life and decent working condition to join us in prayer:
"Jesus, I offer you this day, my work, difficulties and struggles, my joys and hopes. Grant us, as young people who are training for professional life, that we are looking for work or have work, awareness of our dignity, rights, and our responsibilities. Grant us the grace to witness our love for life and for what is honest and just, the daily dedication to our union and organization, and wisdom to act collectively for a dignified life and working condition. Grant us, at last, fidelity to the mission of working for the Kingdom that is yours, today and forever" - Reginaldo Andrietta, Bishop of Diocese Jales Brazil.
As described by Bishop Reginaldo Andrietta, after 36 years since the establishment of the International Week of Young Workers in the 6th International Council of IYCW in the city of Madrid, today the International YCW continues to develop its struggle through actions " by, among and for young workers, with the aim of achieving a more just and dignified world. During this International Week from April 24 to May 1, we, the activists of International YCW, would like to invite all young workers around the world to continue our struggle and resist against the new challenges we will face after the spread of the COVID19 global pandemic.
Once again, the International YCW is raising its voice to have a:
"Just work, equality, and a dignified life for all young workers around the world."
The International Secretariat of the IYCW
European, legislative and regional elections were held in Belgium on Sunday 26th May 2019, in which Belgian citizens elected their representatives for the European parliament, the Belgian parliament and regional parliaments.
“Black Sunday”, “Brown Plague” (the name given to Nazism during the Second World War) are the words most frequently used after the results of the ballot. The far right has progressed dramatically in the North of Belgium, causing deep concern among democracy advocates.
The European elections were held in the 28 countries of the Union, and far-right parties were also winners in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Hungary and Poland. Those parties are spreading racist, sexist, homophobic and anti-immigrant ideas across the continent.
For years now, YCW Bavaria has been actively campaigning for the protection of Sunday to be free from work. It aims for the workers to have time to spend with family, play soccer with friends, establish relationships with the community, go to Church, participate in social voluntary work and build organizations. The action is against big shops that open on Sunday and some shops that extend the closing hours until 11 in the evening.
Sundays and legal holidays are defined as days of rest protected by the Basic Law and the Bavarian Constitution. However, some shops open during sales periods, Sunday markets and feast days, and on other special occasions, taking advantage of community activities to open.
Equal Pay Day stands for the gender pay gap between women and men, which according to the Federal Statistical Office is 21 percent in Germany. This large pay gap means that women work for free until 18 March, i.e. 77 days, while men have been paid for their work since 1 January. Thus, the gross hourly wage for men is 4.41 euros more than for women. Germany lies thereby in the European comparison far behind. Positive examples in Europe are Romania, Italy and Belgium, which have gender pay gaps of less than 7 percent.
CAJ women see a huge problem here and do not want to accept this: Jasmin is angry when someone says that the pay gap doesn't even exist if more women work full-time or if they go less into social professions. She wonders why it is still the case that social activities are so badly paid.
‘We are all workers, we all have the right to organize into a union’
What is your role in your national movement?
I am an activist in the Guatemala YCW coordination team. We are a small team of activists coordinating the activities of the groups.
What are the main activities of the Guatemala YCW presently?
Our priorities are the personal actions carried out at our workplaces. In addition, we are working at extending the movement. We are now in an investigation and initiation process in another two cities and we are following up new base groups which have been set up in the metropolitan area of Guatemala City (the capital).
What is your personal experience of action?
I have almost always worked for the government. There is a problem of flexibilization there. They give work contracts that enable them to reduce the workers’ rights. In my last job in a human rights institution, most workers did not have access to established labor rights. It was a human rights institution, so there was a huge contradiction there!
The election year was approaching and in Guatemala, a change of government usually leads to a change of the whole personnel in public institutions. We were therefore faced with the threat of dismissal and we knew that a military government might return to power. We finally decided to form a trade union with 3 objectives.
“I Have No Direct Contract and My Life is Insecure!”
After finishing high school, I studied Business Administration and finished with a Bachelor’s degree. I searched for a job for about half a year and every time my applications were rejected, the reason was: "You have no working experience" or "We are primarily looking for people with more work experience" ... Even in positions that were advertised for new entrants they kept saying, " We have found someone with more experience ".
Long story short, I got a job from a temporary work agency. I am working in the purchasing department of a big company which isn’t far away from home. But this job doesn’t require academic studies. My salary corresponds approximately to that of the people directly hired by the company for the same position, but those people are working together with a Buyer while I am working alone.
In the company I feel warmly welcomed – most colleagues do not even know that I am employed through a temporary work agency. I get the same discounts as the employees hired directly by the company – for example a discount in the canteen. I really like the work and the colleagues.
The forum of the Pacific Island Civil Society Consultation on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is a response by civil society stakeholders strongly endorsing dignity for safe, orderly and regular migration into and from the Pacific Region. The said regional consultation was organized in Fiji from November 2 to 3, 2017, by leading civil society organizations such as the Migrant Forum in Asia, Justice and Peace, Sydney Asia Pacific Migration Center and others. The Asia Pacific International Young Christian Workers movement was represented by Nanang Ibrahim.
The forum gathered representatives from non-governmental organizations, youth movements, trade unions, educational institutions, the business sector, and other individuals who deliberated the key issues on human rights and good governance relating to the implementation process of the UN Global Compact on Migration.
- KAJ Flanders: Stop the Train of Temporary Work Abuses
- 15 March 2019 — Charleroi, Belgium: Demonstration Against Repression
- International Women's Day: IYCW Demands to Stop Gender Discrimination!
- Young Christian Workers Raise their Voice, Not Only On Women’s Day!
- Salt for Dignity through Solidarity - YCW Haiti’s action presented
- What Work ‘Lies’ Ahead?
- Guatemala YCW: The Long Hard Day of a Young Woman Worker
- ASPAC Message: : "Young Workers Demand a Decent Living Income"
- The Bicycle Rally of the India YCW
- Cooperation between IYCW and WSM
- YCW Egypt struggles against sexual harrassment
- Every Challenge Provides an Opportunity
- Leave no young women workers behind: End gender-based discrimination at work and in the society! End all forms of violence!
- Young Christian Workers in Egypt redefined Their Future Life and Work
- ILC 2017: IYCW & WSM Joint Statement on Labour Migration
- International Domestic Workers’ Day: A Testimony from Pakistan
- Migrant Workers: The Voice of an Overseas Filipino Worker
- PANAF: Taking part in the Development of South-South Regional Cooperation
- Young Workers March to Berlin on May Day Celebration
- March 15, 2017: “Just Work, not Bullets”