Young people as young as 13 are entering the workforce and are not aware of their basic conditions, such as what to do if they don’t get paid or work health and safety measures. As a result, young people are working in unsafe conditions, experiencing exploitation and discrimination and even death from workplace accidents. Work place stress and the need to balance study and other commitments is also impacting the wellbeing of young people.
A young person’s first experience of work will shape their beliefs about work for the rest of their lives. YCW believes in the dignity of work, and that all young workers should be provided with the best working conditions so their human dignity can be respected. Work should be a place where young workers can realise their full potential as human beings and where they can partake in their human mission as collaborators with God in the act of creation.
Identifying the massive contradiction that exits between our realities and beliefs, the YCW and YCS are working together to educate young students in high school who are entering the workforce for the first time about their rights and conditions as young workers. We have surveyed young students to understand more about their realities and will advocate to improve how students are being prepared for the world of work.
Young workers, tertiary students, international students and migrant workers are struggling with the cost of living. Higher rents, transport costs and education fees are meaning they are having to miss out on the basics such as healthy meals. Young workers are also moving into smaller and smaller housing, where some now just have access to a bed in a shared room. Cost of living stress is placing greater stress on friendships as young works can’t afford to go out which further adds to mental wellbeing issues.
The founder of the YCW and YCS, Joseph Cardijn said: “every young worker is worth more than all the gold in the world”. By this, he meant that every young person has an innate human dignity that should be respected, that people should come before profits. The YCS and YCW continues to uphold this belief and believes that the government should increase the wages of young people which are lower because of their age despite costs of living being the same. Otherwise, subsidies, free transport and other such measures should be provided.
The YCW is responding with tangible actions across the country to alleviate the cost of living crisis – Youth Food Project in Melbourne, Community Kitchens and Affordable Accommodation in Sydney, SOL Music and Tai Chi in Adelaide (add hyperlinks to projects/FB page/etc.) – which not only offer material assistance but also seek to build connections between young people as a source of community. The YCW is also representing the demands of all young people at the national level and advocating for change by making submissions to government enquiries and participating in action networks.
