Young workers enter in direct dialogue with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) at a round table debate organised by six European Trade Union Federations* (ETUFs). The MEPs – many of whom are young themselves and who are members of the European Parliament Committees on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) or Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) – have accepted the ETUFs’ invitation to debate on youth issues with young Europeans and trade union representatives. On Tuesday 14 October, from 12:30 to 14:30 the debate will be livestreamed on the ETUFs youth campaign website www.back2ourfuture.org, set up in the context of a joint initiative to claim back the future of young workers in Europe.
Europe’s youth are suffering historic highs in unemployment, are being forced to accept zero-hour contracts, gather work experience via phoney internships or migrate to find work at minimum wages. But to what extent are European decision makers aware of the real-life stories of young workers in Europe, what is their response to this generation’s day-to-day reality and the numerous challenges they face when trying to enter the European labour market? With this event, organised on 14 October in the European Parliament, the ETUFs aim to put young workers on an equal footing with MEPs and bridge the gap between EU legislators and tomorrow’s workforce.
Building a joint social agenda
MEPs from S&D, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL, many of whom are under 40 years, have accepted the ETUFs’ invitation to open up the “Brussels bubble” to young shop stewards and learn first-hand about their personal experiences on the shop floor, or about their attempts to enter one. As members of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and on Economic and Monetary Affairs, among others, the participating MEPs are well placed to build a joint agenda to secure the future of Europe’s youth, and in turn, its economy and society.
Follow the debate online
The round table will serve to discuss issues such as precarious working conditions, the existing education mismatch and the lack of effective job creation. Young workers and trade unionists coming from some of the key sectors of Europe’s economy, represented by six ETUFs, will crossfire the MEPs with questions, testimonials and challenges for their upcoming mandate. You can follow the debate live on the campaign website, or by using the hashtag #Back2ourfuture on Facebook and Twitter.
You can download the poster for this event here.
* This campaign is powered by six European trade union federations and 30 million workers: European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), industriAll European Trade Union and UNI Europa.
