IYCW, MIJARC and FIMARC Setting a Course of Action Together
The IYCW hosted an Asian Youth Seminar in the Philippines last September 24-28, 2018. Twenty-six delegates from various organizations, partners in the Philippines and national movements in Asia participated in the meeting. The three international organizations, MIJARC, FIMARC and the IYCW developed a program with the support of Entraide and Fraternité-Belgium. It is a three-year partnership program deepening on the topic of (1) youth (2) food sovereignty and (3) gender.
Before the youth seminar itself, a two-day exchange program was held in Valenzuela City, Philippines to see the reality of the young contractual factory workers and of informal workers working in the street.
The IYCW in a symposium on global digitization in Germany
Actively shaping digitization - worldwide!
In cooperation with KAB (National Movement of WMCW-MMTC), the World Emergency Office and KönzgenHaus, a two-day symposium entitled "Global digitization: risks and opportunities of work in the future" was held in Cologne/Haltern, last December 2018. Can global digitization - in the world of work and in daily life - really put an end to extreme poverty, inequality and injustice and also initiate an ecological trend reversal?
Digitalisation eats up resources - an ecological time bomb
"Digitalisation does not reduce our ecological footprint; on the contrary, the introduction of autonomous driving alone would increase the energy demand extraordinarily due to the extreme growth of data streams," emphasised Sven Hilbig, world trade officer at the development agency Brot für die Welt. “The battery of an electric car contains 10,000 times as much lithium as a cell phone battery. The resulting increase in demand for raw materials from Africa and South America is a serious problem for social and ecological sustainability in the global South. Digital trade, as here with raw materials, also threatens to restrict the scope for developing and emerging countries; above all the digital supply chains increase the added value of globally operating corporations and platforms.”
What Work ‘Lies’ Ahead?
The future starts today, not tomorrow. Pope Francis
The Network of the Catholic Inspired Organizations, together with the Commission of the Bishops Conference of the European Union (COMECE), organized panel debates at the European Economic and Social Commission last November 27, 2018. The Conference discussed what the future of work looks like for the next generation in the midst of digitalization and robotization, as we know that the world of work is facing many transformative changes, accelerating globalization and the rise of artificial intelligence on the one hand, and ecological challenges and a rise in unemployment on the other hand.
Various panel experts underlined the importance of work from an inter-religious dialogue perspective, and John Harley of Eurofound presented a research on the issue of accessibility to work, unemployment, opportunities and threats. The statement of Ms. Sarah Prenger, the International President of the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) who read testimonies and realities from many young workers in Europe, describing the challenges they face every day, was a good opportunity to confront those data and research.
The Philippines YCW held its 34th National Council in Taytay, Rizal
After almost five (5) years of struggle, the Philippines Young Christian Workers (PYCW) finally held its 34th National Council (NC) of) from 30th April to 8th May 2018 in Taytay, Rizal. Young workers (YW) delegates from five regions – Cebu, Negros Occidental, IloIlo, Metro Manila and Camarines Norte – participated in the NC to represent their regions and share the realities. The theme was: “Kilos Kabataang Manggagawa para sa Dignidad at Karapatan” (Young Workers Acting for their Dignity and Rights). Indeed, the movement believes that as actors of change, action should be the starting point in changing the realities of young workers and the way to transform the society through its Task of Education (TOE).
One of the highlights of the NC program was the exchange of leaders exposing the delegates to different areas of work in Valenzuela City. A first group visited the contractual group of Malanday, a second group stayed with the pedicab base group of Lawang Bato, and a third one visited a mixed group of young people in Vista Verde.
IYCW International Seminar, Bandung, Indonesia - August 2018
"Young Workers in the World of Work Today, our Vision for Tomorrow"
The delegates and national movement’s representatives of the International Young Christian Workers together with the members of Catholic Inspired Organizations, associations and trade unions, gathered in Bandung, Indonesia from August 14-22, 2018, for an International Exchange and Seminar on the theme “Young workers in the world of work today – our vision for tomorrow. Reshaping the Future of Work in the midst of digitalization, ecological change, precariousness and unemployment”
The delegates are cconvinced that Just Work is an integral part of human being for personal and humanfulfilment that guarantee for our participation in the development of society. However, seeing the world of work today, it does not guarantee the young workers, and workers in general, a sustainable life as young workers are facing unemployment, flexibilization and precarization of work around the world.
They have seen that more and more of young workers and workers are victims of long working hours, lack of social protection, informalization of work, and low wages that it is difficult for us to provide the needs of ourfamilies. The digitalization of work resulting to the dismissal of workers leading to unemployment. Likewise the way in which work is being organised allow workers to be disintegrated our working relationship and organise ourselves preventing for free association.
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