Kyrgyzstan trade union youth school

The Federation of trade unions of Kyrgyzstan in cooperation with the ILO sub-regional office in Moscow organized five-day Youth summer school 16-20 July 2012. The summer school brought together some thirty young people from different regions and sectors of Kyrgyzstan, student and workplace organisations leaders. The ITUC-PERC took part in the activity.

The summer school combined different methodologies, from formal lectures and presentations to group work and brainstorming sessions. The participants discussed what is trade union movement and what are the goals and the tasks of trade unions, what are the weak and the strong points the Kyrgyz trade union movement has, what are the issues young people are concerned.

Mariko Ouchi, ILO Eastern Europe Central Asia regional office senior specialist on social protection informed participants about ILO mechanisms that concern young workers, first of all about ILO Convention 156 (workers with family responsibilities), Convention 183 (Maternity protection), convention 102 (minimal standards of social protection). On that basis the participants discussed potential proposals for the national level collective bargaining that would improve protection of young workers and young families and that the FPKg could use in tripartite negotiations.

Sergeus Glovackas presented ILO activities in the region, ILO Conventions and procedures and Decent Work Country Programmes as well as different experiences of trade union youth organizing existing in the region. He also concentrated on human and trade union rights as defined by the ILO Conventions and existing mechanisms of their protection.

Anton Leppik , ITUC-PERC, informed about ITUC structures and objectives, concentrating in particular on the role of youth committee, its campaigns and activities, as well as on mechanisms for promoting participation of young people in trade union decision making processes. He also presented priorities of the Pan-European Regional Council and trade union consolidation priorities.

Irakliy Petriashvili, GTUC President, told the participants about his personal trade union carrier, from enterprise to the position of the national trade union leader, about striking and organizing activities, reforms to consolidate trade unions of Georgia. He also informed about liberal reforms Georgian government implemented, in particular, about reform of labour legislation that impeded trade union and workers rights and GTUC actions to make sure that trade union rights are implemented.

Nugzar Chincherauli, president of Georgian State employees union, informed about reforms of the civil service implemented in Georgia and implications on trade unions.

Yulia Surina, ILO Moscow office programmes assistant, informed about youth employment situation in the word, precarious work that young people most probably would be engaged in, about ILO activities and youth employment discussions. She presented ILO analysis on the implications of the global economic crisis on employment situation and the work of the International Labour Conference Youth Employment Committee.

During panel discussion in question and answers session international experts and young unionists exchanged views and information about student unions and their work, differences between soviet type and modern unions, about mechanisms of trade union carrier development, about educational systems in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, about ITUC Play Fair campaign and its women and youth committees and their role as mechanism to ensure democratic and representative character of trade union decision making bodies, about young unionists networking, about new movements and trade union relations with them and others.