Promoting Organizing & Decent Work for Youth

1. Work Plan Promoting Organizing & Decent Work for Youth By Eun Mi AHN (S. KOREA) ITC-ILO/ACTRAV Training Course A3-00850 (02/07 – 29/07/2007, Turin + Tokyo)

2. Background & Justification • Decreasing number of newborns is a growing problem in Korea. Other than that, youth also face unemployment issue. The Youth un-employment in Korea is a structural problem that has persisted since the Korean financial crisis. • Since 2000, the youth unemployment rate in Korea has been averag-ing around 8% and latest official record in 2006 stands at 7.6%. Despite government efforts to tackle youth unemployment, there is currently no sign of improvement. • According to the Attitude Survey conducted by the FKTU Research Center among 615 students last March. 76.5% of the students answ-ered in the affirmative on the necessity of trade union, and 69.9% agreed with need for collective action. But few were aware of labor right, nor were they given any instruction on it. In reality, part-time workers do not tend to take any legal actions even if their wages are below minimum wage, or when they are discriminated.

3. Background & Justification(contd) • Furthermore, youth have no ways to communicate their opinions and pressure or lobby to the government and no means of access to information on labor and TU. • There has been no effort to tackle youth employment in FKTU although youth employment is related to promoting organizing. • TU can make better working condition through the collective bargaining and prevent young worker from leaving their jobs. • Thus, this project is being proposed to promote decent work and trade unionism among Korean young workers.

4. Target Group • Target group - organized : Young members of FKTU - unorganized : Young workers : Job seeking youth • Support group - Employment Stabilization Center - The Korea Labor Foundation • Main partner of FKTU • - Ministry of labor • - Tripartite Commission • - Korean Youth Center • - Korea Students Alliance • Advisory group – professor, institution

5. Development Objectives This work plan would contribute towards empowering youth & strengthening union movement among young workers.

6. Immediate Objectives At the end of this project, the following results would be achieved : Partnership with FKTU - Student Organizat-ion - Youth Organization built. Increased youth awareness on workers’ right and trade unions. Youth committee in FKTU established.

7. Key Outputs • Partnership with FKTU - Student Org. – Youth Org built. • Increased youth awareness on workers’ rights and trade unions. • Youth committee in FKTU established. • Output 1-1 Youth Employment Forum’ project organization established (comprising of FKTU(3), Korea Students Alliance(2), Korea Youth Center(2), adviser(1) ). • Output 1-2 Joint research published.

8. Key Outputs (contd) • Partnership with FKTU - Student Org. – Youth Org built. • Increased youth awareness on workers’ rights and trade unions. • Youth committee in FKTU established. • Output 2-1 Networks between FKTU’s local legal offices and local colleges established to encourage local colle-ges to orient students, particularly those who are about to graduate on the decent work agenda.

9. Key Outputs (contd) • Partnership with FKTU - Student Org. – Youth Org built. • Increased youth awareness on workers’ rights and trade unions. • Youth committee in FKTU established. • Output 3-1 FKTU Youth committee officers identified and trained.

10. Activities • Immediate objective 1: Partnership with FKTU - Student Orga-nization - Youth Organization built. • Output 1-1 :Youth Employment Forum’ project organization established Activity1-1-1 : Conduct of open forum on `Policies for Promotion of Youth Employment.` • Output 1-2 : Joint research published. Activity1-2-1 : Survey on youth awareness and participation in Government programs. Activity1-2-2 : Conduct joint research on Policies for Promotion of Youth Employment and survey with Korea Student Alliance, Korea Youth Center, adviser.

11. Activities (contd) • Immediate objective 2: Increased youth awareness on workers’ rights and trade unions. • Output 2-1 :Networks between FKTU’s local legal offices and local colleges established to encourage local colleges to orient students, particularly those who are about to graduate on the decent work agenda. Activity2-1-1 : Joint meeting with Private College Presidents’ Association on possible partnership between FKTU’s local legal offices and local colleges to conduct joint campaign on labor law and counselling for job seekers in colleges.

12. Activities (contd) • Immediate objective 3 : Youth committee in FKTU established. • Output 3-1 : FKTU Youth committee officers identified and trained. Activity3-1-1 : Youth union staff workshop on Youth organizing <Topic> • To build youth committee in FKTU and collaborate with YEN • To develop clubs/ guilds under the FKTU Youth Committee to org-anize young unionists according to their interests (e.g., music, sports, training). • To publish ‘Organizing Guide’ that will help young unionists in org-anizing themselves into smaller associations under FKTU Youth Committee.

13. TimeTable (08/2007 ~ 07/2008)

14. Main Inputs 1) Human - Responsible persons of partner Organization specialist - Professor, institution reseacher. 2) Financial - Activity in 2007 : FKTU’s unexecuted budget, special budget - Activity in 2008 : Compilation of the budget is carried out by the Policy, Organizing, External Bureaus - Other : Korea Labor Foundation support 3) Organization - FKTU’s local legal counseling offices - Ministry of labor, Employment Stabilization Center - Korean Youth Center, Korea Students Alliance

15. Indicators of Achievement 1) For immediate Objective 1 - 10,000 students in 20 colleges responded to the survey. - Gathered 8 initial members of the ‘Youth Employment Forum’. - 100 students and young workers participated in the open forum. - Initial 100 copies of joint research published and distributed to local colleges. 2) For immediate Objective 2 - 10 FKTU legal counselling offices and 10 local colleges work together to provide Legal and counselling services for young workers and students. 3) For immediate Objective 3 - 30 participants in the Young Union Staff Workshop oriented on youth organizing and YEN initiative.

16. Management of Risks

17. Monitoring / Reporting / Evaluation Procedures • Monthly check on timetable at the Policy Bureau meeting. • Submission of progress report every two months. • Published evaluation report by the end of the Project.

18. Preliminary Budget Proposal * 1,000 won = 916.9 US$ (as of JULY, 2007)