Last week, SOLIDAR brought together 15 young trade unionists at a conference in the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Emer Costello and attended by MEPs Emily Turunen, Elisabeth Schroedter and Marije Cornelissen, Vice-President of the Committee of Regions, Mercedes Bresso, as well as representatives from Eurofound and the European Youth Forum.
Based on discussions in the conference, SOLIDAR recommends that European policy initiatives - such as the Youth Employment Package that includes the Youth Guarantee - are strengthened to ensure that all young people are offered a job, apprenticeship, traineeship or continued education. And these initiatives must be based on decent work and quality employment.
The young trade unionists from Ireland, Denmark and Italy highlighted that:
- In Italy, the employment rate of people between 15 and 34 years old is 41%, with most young people finding themselves in precarious and poorly paid jobs, with no job security and high fluctuation.
- In Ireland, the number of long term unemployed is growing, the cohort staying in education is increasing and the number of emigrants is rising.
- In Denmark, every fourth young person has a job where working environment regulations are violated. Young apprentices and interns between 18-24 years of age have 50 percent more risk of work related injuries than any other age group.
At the meeting a briefing paper was also launched by young trade unionists entitled: “Decent work and quality jobs for young people – a collation of articles on the employment situation and working conditions of young people”.
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