The International Secretariat Bids Farewell to Geethani and Welcome to New Team Members

On Friday 1^st March, the international secretariat invited colleagues, former members and other organizations to a simple farewell party for Geethani Peries, the IYCW international president from 2008 to 2012, and a welcome party for the new international team members.

The event was casual but there was a deep sense of friendship and love. At the beginning of the program, Arlindo de Oliveira, the international treasurer, welcomed all guests and friends. He introduced the program and invited all guests to introduce themselves in turn.

The event continued with the presentation of each member of the international secretariat. Ludovicus Mardiyono, the new international president, explained that the IYCW just recently completed the XIIIth International Council in Ghana successfully. "What we have now is the aspirations, dreams and beliefs of young workers from around the world. Change can occur when there is solidarity and cooperation," said Mardi.

Advancing Political Action

Last Friday 15^th February, the International Secretariat (IS) team members met with representatives of World Solidarity Movement (WSM) as part of the process of integration of the new IS members. The meeting took place at the IYCW office in Schaerbeek, Belgium.

The WSM representatives were Bart, Ben and Jeroen. Bart and Ben are responsible for WSM’s international action department while Jeroen is a north-south cooperation program coordinator. All the IS outgoing and new team members were present at the meeting.

There were two strategic items on the agenda of the meeting: international political action and the cooperation program between WSM and the IYCW.

Drafting a Work Plan and Building Team Spirit

The International Secretariat (IS) is currently holding its second integration meeting in Brussels. The meeting started on 7^th February and will continue until 4^th March 2013, with the participation of Geethani, Mardiyono, Arlindo, Isak and Augustine. It is the continuation of last October’s integration meeting.

Among other things, the IS coordinators will focus on the political vision and orientation for the next four years (2013-2016) and define clear strategies and means to be used in the implementation process of the international plan of action.

We chose as a theme “Just Work and Dignified Life for all Young Workers”, which demonstrates that young workers are ready for the task of transforming the society. 

The European YCW Develops a Continental Vision

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.

The Egypt YCW Fights Sexual Harassment

The IYCW international team was pleased to welcome Sabah Eskandar, a former member of Egypt YCW, who visited the international secretariat in Brussels on Saturday February 9th.

In her visit, Sabah was accompanied by Milad Mikhael, a former international team member for the Africa region (1998-2002) and by George, an Egyptian activist.

The meeting, which lasted about 2 hours, provided the opportunity to discuss the current situation in Egypt and YCW in this post-revolution period. Sabah explained that conditions in Egypt now are not really stable in all spheres of life. The change in the country’s government did not significantly improve the social and political situation. The prices of goods are higher and people are increasingly suffering.

 Field Visit to PANAF by the International Secretariat  and

Meeting of the African Commission in Ghana

A meeting of the Panafrican Commission was held in Accra, Ghana, from 25^th to 30^th November to support the new Panafrican coordinator in his follow-up work and review of the actions carried out by young workers across the continent.

Representatives from the national movements of Egypt, Gabon, and Ghana were invited to the meeting, as well as Arlindo de Oliveira (international treasurer) and Isak Krampona (secretary general), the international coordinators elected at the last international council of the IYCW. James Denteh, the current PANAF coordinator, also elected at the last council, welcomed us.

Entraide et Fraternité visits the International Secretariat

We thank Entraide et Fraternité, especially Claude Mormont who paid a short, friendly visit at the IYCW International secretariat. He was warmly welcomed by the outgoing international president, Geethani Paries, and the newly-elected secretary general, Isak Krampona, as well as by Arlindo de Oliveira, the international treasurer.

We had frank discussions on the recommendations that emerged from the 13^th International Council of the IYCW that ended not too long ago. Our deliberations at the council led us to define a campaign on specific areas of focus: social protection, just work, quality education, and gender equality. We examined in great depth the importance of these issues in young workers’ lives around the world today and defined the role of the IYCW in motivating and organizing young people to fight for their rights and find the meaning of their lives.

The International Secretariat Team Meets with World Solidarity Movement (WSM)

The meeting was called to brief WSM on the conclusions of the 13^th International Council of the IYCW which was held in Ghana in August 2012. It was clear from the presentation of the national movements’ delegates that despite different circumstances, young workers around the world are facing a number of common problems and challenges within their respective societies.

The issue of reduced job security and precarious conditions at work remains one crucial challenge for young workers.

At the same time, the lack of decent living wages, job opportunities, health insurance, social security, quality education and gender balance is a widespread phenomenon which remains a real challenge around the world. It is a disturbing pattern that implies the risk of a lost generation today and a loss of faith in the capacity of systems to deliver improvements in young workers’ lives.

International Secretariat Members Meet to Build a Collective Vision

The first integration meeting in the transition process took place at the international secretariat of the IYCW in Brussels, Belgium. The objective of the meeting was to exchange information and strategies with the newly elected coordinator, to discuss possible cooperation modalities with partner organisations, as well as to develop a clear orientation and work program for the transition process and to define a plan of work for 2013.

The three-week meeting was attended by Geethani Peries, the outgoing international president, Isak KRAMPONA, the newly elected secretary general, and Arlindo de Oliveira, the re-elected international treasurer.

At the onset of the meeting, the coordinators dedicated time to study the conclusions of the recent 13^th International Council which was held in Ghana in August 2012, and to develop a collective vision for the implementation process based on the demands and aspirations of young workers. The integration meeting was also an opportunity to exchange on the practical decision-making processes inside the international secretariat.

At the political level, the integration meeting reviewed the current methodology used to accompany regional teams and national structures. The recommendation is to follow up 25 priority actions and to provide international analysis for each of these actions. The integration meeting concluded by providing political orientation and vision on the upcoming activities at international level – the International Week of the Young Workers (IWYW) in April 2013, the International Team Meeting in May 2013, and the participation in the ILO Conference in June 2013.

The IYCW brought the voice of young workers to Geneva

The IYCW brought the voice of young people to the 101st session of the 2012 International Labour Conference with its delegation composed of Geethani Peries, Marcos Rondon and Andy Pedicala, together with the World Solidarity delegation.

Participation in the International Labour Conference (ILC) is such a privilege and at the same time such responsibility. A privilege because you have the chance to meet and discuss with different government officials, trade union members and employers – whom you have difficulty to meet once they are in their office back home – regarding different issues. Responsibility because you bring the voice of millions of young workers to the plenary.

Since the ILO is an international tripartite body composed of more than 170 member states, it is a good opportunity for us (IYCW) to present our campaign and demands with the testimonies of young workers from the grassroots. The truth is that the level of discussion is sometimes high and theoretical but the specific young workers’ reality we present is like “cold refreshing water” in the intense discussion.