BWI Global Young Workers' Manifesto: FISTS UP FOR THE PLANET

To mark 2024’s International Youth Day, the BWI Youth calls on all affiliates to take action in voicing young workers’ demands in their policies and campaigns.

We want to see a “JUST” future for all, and want to build this future with global union movement, through our solidarity and collective actions.

We believe it’s time now to FIST UP for WORKERS RIGHTS and THE PLANET.

Here is our Manifesto to echo the BWI’s young workers’ voices.

Climate crisis is at alarming levels with the world experiencing extreme weather conditions and heat waves in recent years. Young workers are deeply concerned about a future threatened by climate destruction, as governments and employers are so reluctant to fulfill their promises to reduce carbon emissions, which is vital to limiting global heating levels.

The BWI Youth acknowledges that unions should play a leading and cooperative role in designing and implementing policies toward a zero-carbon world, as well as during the transition process that will inevitably change and transform most of today’s jobs. In this regard, responses to stop climate change must ensure just transition measures designed to safeguard workers’ rights and interests during the transition period. In addition, the BWI youth advocates for inclusive policies ensuring equal access and engagement of women and migrant workers, who are double affected and burdened by the impacts, of the transition period.

Apart from awareness generation and policy advocacy, another critical area for young workers’ engagement remains recognition of existing skills and upskilling or reskilling to match the transition needs and prepare them for the emerging world of work.

We thus call for concrete actions and policies from governments, policy makers and employers in line with adopting new standards to achieve a zero-carbon future. They should take responsibility and consult with unions and civil society to:

• Build an inclusive policy structure to ensure equal job opportunities and equip workers with the necessary tools, via skills training schemes, for fair inclusion in the new phase of jobs under just transition.

• Hear out unions’ demands to ensure the health and safety of workers under extreme heat and extreme weather conditions.

We thus call for trade unions to:

• Educate workers to increase their awareness of climate justice and the impacts of climate change on their working and living conditions

• Build competency of young members by providing opportunities for skilling in green construction, renewables, and sustainable forestry and secure employment linkages in their dialogue with stakeholders

• Join the BWI’s campaign “Heat Up Workers’ Rights, Not the Planet” which seeks to obtain better jobs and conditions for workers in the context of the climate emergency.