UFCW leads the way at government youth employment panel
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Toronto – February 15, 2017 – UFCW Canada activists recently brought the voice and concerns of young workers to the federal government’s Expert Panel on Youth Employment.
Canada's leading union for young workers delivered its submission and recommendations at a roundtable discussion in Toronto. The recommendations focused on steps that the federal government can take to improve job prospects and working conditions for young Canadians, including reducing barriers to unionization.
“Government initiatives regarding youth employment must include measures to reduce the barriers that young people face in organizing and maintaining unions in their workplaces,” says UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema. “Unionization is an essential tool for helping young workers improve their working conditions, and for turning precarious jobs into good jobs," he adds.
Some of the core content of the submission flowed out of the recent UFCW Canada Ignite Youth Conference. At the conference, UFCW Canada young activists from across the country identified five main issues requiring government action: increasing the minimum wage; eliminating costs and barriers to post-secondary education; creating mental health resources for young people; providing affordable and high quality child care; and halting the privatization of health services.
UFCW Canada is one of the country’s most youthful unions, as over 40 percent of UFCW members are under the age of 30. To find out more about UFCW Canada's young worker activism and programs, click here.