Young Workers for Change Towards Decent Work and Fairer World

IYCW News - The Americas YCW (JOCA) organised a virtual exchange on 9 and 16 July 2021. The aim was to share about realities, needs, challenges and actions re unemployment and precarious young workers in the world of work at the continental level.

Participants in the event were young workers, activists and adults from different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, such as Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico, Haiti, as well as a young German volunteer in Peru.

“The current global health crisis (Covid-19) has made even more visible the inequalities that we live in our societies; some of us have reinvented ways of work for survival while those who still have a job are submerged in long working hours and faced with double workload. Their salaries are often not enough to cover one or two meals a day plus other fixed costs. In addition, the cost of food, transportation and connectivity has increased,” Ana Cecilia from the Americas YCW team explained.

In the exchange, participants deepened the analysis of young people’s reality in the world of work, identified the aspirations of young people in new contexts, and challenged young people and movements to take new actions on the reality of young people's work.

Ana described the huge challenges faced by young workers in the continent, the mental health problems due to the pandemic, the lack of training to face digitalization of work, and the closure of companies that has led to accepting precarious work.

In response to those challenges, the Americas young people are developing income generating activities, education and training, advocacy actions, and networking to strengthen solidarity economy initiatives.

We need a fairer world

Young workers demand freedom and a fairer world, without discrimination and exclusion, where gender equality and equity are respected and equal opportunities are provided.

“We believe that young workers have to take action, organise solidarity, and encourage networking for decent work and a fairer world. We call on all young people worldwide to build new bonds of solidarity. Don’t lose hope! We are supported by the organization to continue walking and fighting,” said Ana to conclude the exchange.