08.09.2001
"Deactivate social dynamite of youth unemployment"
Resolution of the delegates of the european capitals trade unions in Berlin
The European Capitals Trade Union Conference, taking place 5th – 8th of September in Berlin, urges the regional and national governments of the European states and the European Commission to stronger focus their policies on the subject of „youth unemployment“. In all countries, the rates of young persons without training or employment or dealing with precarious employment as well as illicit work are increasing. In some European countries the youth unemployment rate has already passed 20%. This creates social dynamite for the future of Europe, which could even threaten the democratic development of Europe.
The potential of discontent among Europe’s young generation was revealed by the protests at the summit meetings in Gothenburg and Genoa. Acts of violence that accompanied the meetings must not block the view towards the original objective of hundreds of thousands of young people demonstrating peacefully who did not only demand the change of neoliberal policy which is responsible for the increasing inequality – they also demanded respect for the social and ecological standards which are inevitably necessary for building a Europe that is characterised by justice and solidarity.
Not only the financial issues must be considered during the next meetings of the EU summit on the stability agreement but also plans for developing job creation schemes. Furthermore regulations must be created to defend the worker’s rights and to protect the worker’s health at the work place.
To the opinion of the European Capitals Trade Union Conference all young people have the equal rights to education and employment. Therefore the European social and education standards should be harmonized on a high level as soon as possible. The trade unions want to fight commonly against the transfer of funds by multinational combines to evade taxation, the social decline and the privatization of public services in the national states, so that the youth of Europe can obtain a better future.
Efforts made by the enterprises and orientated to market economy conditions have not effectively improved the education conditions of young people until now. Therefore we think that the companies have to take even more responsibility for training and further qualification as an essential part of their own development. Parallel to the necessary public investments made in the education sector and to the existing national and European programmes on the vocational formation and professional start of young people.
Demanding mobility does not have any effect, since young persons today are highly prepared to leave their home country in order to find education and work. Migration to the metropolis or to other European countries cannot solve the problem of youth unemployment. Therefore, access to the labour market and to training must be provided for the young people in their home regions, too.
The existing employment facilities for young people have to be changed as well, because limited jobs are not the solution for a better future of the European youth. Therefore it is necessary to create qualified and permanent employments providing appropriate wages and rights and to fight any discrimination in the scope of engagement of employees.
The conference calls upon the mayors of the capital regions who are going to meet at Rome for the first time next autumn to exercise pressure towards introducing projects in coordination with the union for improving the situation of the young people.
The European capitals conference of Berlin urges all governments of the European states, the European Commission and the European Parliament to develop and implement common concepts for the reduction of youth unemployment, in order to complete the European Union socially as well.
