Young Workers
Young workers have a lot more issues to deal with than our parents did 20 years ago, whether it is increasing housing expenses, rising tuition fees, escalating cost of living and the decrease of income, especially for minimum wage earners.
Young people across the province have joined the B.C. Federation of Labour Young Worker's Committee to stand up for issues that matter to young people. They have lobbied to change laws to protect late-night workers, petitioned to increase minimum wage and gave up their time to educate other young workers on their rights at work.
There are a number of campaigns and issues that the B.C. Federation of Labour has been involved with. And it’s time to get involved.
Gen-U Network
Gen-U is a provincial network of young people across BC. Members receive information about upcoming events and news about young worker projects. If you would like to be part of this network, all you need to do is complete the form.
Events
The Federation has opportunities for young workers who are interested in becoming more active in their unions or in the labour movement as a whole.
These events includes an annual Young Worker Retreat and a planning session with the Young Worker Committee and Federation President to discuss their issues and to plan young worker projects for the upcoming year. The video below was made at the 2008 Retreat:
Young Workers are also encouraged to join the 100 or so people who participate in young workers activities as part of the BC Federation Annual Convention.
For details of upcoming Young Workers events please check our Events Calander.
Labour Education
All too often young people are exploited on the job, whether it be work schedules, hourly wages, training wage, statutory holidays, overtime, how old do you have to be to work or who can you talk to. These questions are answered in our Labour Education presentation.
The Labour Education program was created by the B.C. Federation of Labour in 2003 to help young workers know what their rights are under the Employment Standards Act, so they don’t get abused. This presentation also engages young workers in discussion about unions and what they do. We have revised our program and added in the Self-Help Kit, so young workers know how to file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour.
If you would like more information on this program or would like to book a presentation in your school or community, please contact the B.C. Federation of Labour at educate@bcfed.ca.
Health and Safety Workshop
Our Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) High School Workshop was created to make young workers aware of their health and safety rights and how to prevent injuries, accidents and death. To date, over 30,000 students have taken this workshop.
To find out more, or to book a presentation, please contact the B.C. Federation of Labour at ywsafety@bcfed.ca.
And find out more about our Health and Safety Centre and learn more about your rights.
Minimum Wage
Ever feel that your paycheque has to be stretched more and more since last year? You’re not alone - the Minimum wage has not been increased since November 1, 2001, and young people aged 15- 24 make up nearly 66 percent of minimum wage earners in Canada.
The B.C. Federation of Labour has launched a Campaign to Increase Minimum Wage to $10/hour and eliminate the $6/hour training wage.
Find out more about how you can get involved in this campaign to raise the Minimum Wage.
