"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.

Each year since 1977, from 24th April to 1^st May, the IYCW has been organizing a series of actions and activities during the International Week of the Young Workers which ends with the traditional May Day celebration. The year 2017 could not be different. All over the world, young workers and YCW leaders carried out actions against job precariousness and instability, against all sorts of inequalities they may face in their daily life. They exposed the social, political, economic and cultural problems which keep affecting the working and living conditions of millions of young women and men throughout the world.

This year in Brussels, to close the International Week of the Young Workers, the IYCW took an active part in the May Day celebration in Laeken, remembering the 50^th anniversary of Joseph Cardijn’s death and proclaiming enthusiastically that “Yes, Cardijn is still relevant today”.

This celebration took place in the church of “Our Lady” in Laeken. It gathered nearly 600 people - current and former YCW leaders, as well as many former members from Belgium but also from France, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

From February 11^th to 13^th, the YCW national movements in Europe are meeting in Brussels to plan collective work at the European level. Leaders of YCW Flanders, Wallonia and Germany are attending the meeting.

The aim of the meeting, coordinated by Sarah Prenger, the European Team member, is to develop a concrete plan towards a seminar and exchange at the European level on precarious work.

Precarious work is a thorny issue in Europe, especially for youth. They are forced to work in poor conditions due to a lack of job opportunities.