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Young trade union leaders from Belgium, France, Italy, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Spain, Hungary, Sweden and Latvia will share good practices and discuss youth participation opportunities in the trade union movement, employment, and improving international cooperation in problem-solving.
LBAS President Pēteris Krīgers said: "International experience has shown that organisations can produce high-quality work if they are sufficiently represented by young people, as they are the most active and best educated section of the labour market. It is therefore very important for young people to share best practice in this forum as a sure way of increasing their capabilities both in terms of participation in the trade union movement and in the occupational field."
At the first session of the forum, trade union youth representatives will hold a discussion on current participation in European and national political processes. Examples of best practice in strengthening trade union youth participation in decision-making will be presented and recommendations will be drawn up during the forum.
During the second session, trade union youth representatives will discuss current challenges in youth professional development and youth unemployment problems. The participants will define the main professional development tools and make proposals regarding the role of trade unions and practical opportunities for young people in the development of professional skills – career support opportunities and the role of non-formal education. Statistics show that in December 2014 the unemployment rate for young people aged between 15 and 24 in the EU was 21.4%, and even exceeded 50% in Spain and Greece, while the overall unemployment rate in the EU was 9.7%. Despite EU support provided by the Youth Guarantee programme, the youth unemployment rate is still high.
Forum participants will share examples of best practice for youth employment promotion activities, and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Youth Council representatives will deliver a presentation on the youth employment situation in the EU, looking at the European social partners' agreement on the Framework of Actions on Youth Employment and trade union activities to facilitate and support youth employment.
The third session of the forum will be devoted to trade union cooperation and tools for solving youth problems. Trade union youth representatives will answer questions about the need for, and added value of, the Baltic trade unions, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the ETUC Youth Committees.
The international trade union youth forum on "Strengthening trade union youth participation in decision-making at European and national level" will take place in Riga on the TechHub premises at 12 Kaļķu iela.
The international trade union youth forum is organised with the support of the ESF project "Strengthening of the administrative capacity of the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia 2009-2015" (project no. 1DP/1.5.2.2.1./08/IPIA/SIF/001/01).
