ITUC/PERC Young Women’s Network outlined future activities

On June 21-22, in Berlin were held the works of the Conference of the ITUC/PERC Young Women’s Network entitled ” Strengthening the voice of young women workers in trade unions”, with the participation of over 20 young women from Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Germany. The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) was represented by Tatiana Marian, former chair of the Youth Committee of the Pan-European Regional Council (PERC).

The works of the Conference were organized in an interactive format, with debates and approaches to issues related to the protection of women’s rights at the workplace. The topics of the discussions focused on the development of the women’s trade union network in the Pan-European space, the young women and the labour market – challenges and solutions, the implementation of the “Count Us In!” Campaign launched by the International Trade Union Confederation through its objectives on the care economy and “Stop gender-based violence in the world of work – support an International Labour Organization Convention,” the perspective of young women in the PERC region.

Participants also expressed their interest in debates at the round table on the socio-economic situation of young women in the PERC region, especially on their challenges in accordance with labour law and public policies, the participation of young women in the labour market, working conditions and the wages of young women, the current situation of young women in the Pan-European and national decision-making bodies of the trade unions, the involvement of young women in collective bargaining and in balancing professional and private life, discrimination and gender stereotypes in society and the role of trade unions in alleviating this phenomenon.

Tatiana Marian, former chairman of the Youth Committee of PERC, through its expositions during the Conference, drew attention to “the importance of international cooperation between women and young women in the context of respecting international gender regulations, strengthening the efforts of young women to promote and defend women’s rights, including at regional and local level, as well as showing their solidarity in achieving the strategic goals outlined in the PERC Women Committee’s Work Program 2017-2018.”

Finally, the young trade unionist women submitted proposals for the Action Plan of the Women Committee of the Pan-European Regional Council and drew up the future activities of the Pan-European women’s network of young women, with reference to increasing solidarity among young women, implementing a common gender action, creating a horizontal information and communication network, developing a distance education program, developing a booklet with successful stories of women’s trade union organizations, increasing the contribution of young women in the network to promoting and implementing campaigns launched on the youth and women’s segment, as well as in the motivation for women’s trade union membership.

Department of mass media and international relations