ILO calls for active youth participation in unions

A key function of unions is to protect workers’ rights and ensure fair labour practices on the job through collective bargaining and social dialogue, and many youths are working in conditions that do not encourage participation, awareness and interest in union activities. This assertion was made by Mr. Dennis Zulu, the ILO Country Office Director […]

A key function of unions is to protect workers’ rights and ensure fair labour practices on the job through collective bargaining and social dialogue, and many youths are working in conditions that do not encourage participation, awareness and interest in union activities.
This assertion was made by Mr. Dennis Zulu, the ILO Country Office Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)  National Youth Conference themed  “Promoting Youth Participation in the Trade Unions’’  held recently at Labour House, Abuja.
Zulu noted that Nigerian youths make up a significant percentage of the Nigerian population and bear the heavy brunt of unemployment with 49.5 % of the youths being either unemployed or underemployed.
“A recent ILO-report-World Employment and Social Outlook for 2016, notes that globally, many youths earn less than $3.10 and are subjected to  working poverty. In addition, many are in contractual jobs without social benefits and protections, in situations that cannot and should not be considered decent working conditions,’’ he said.
Zulu noted that  there  is mistrust from young people about unions as being organized around classical proletariats and as such, efforts must be put into working with young people on raising their awareness about union values to increase their support for the union movement and improve the young workers` involvement in unions, adding that the best way to do so is to use the young workers to organize their peers.