On February 27, 2025, the Indonesia Joint Youth Meeting took place in Yogyakarta, bringing together 35 youth from FSPM, FSBMM, and PERKASA. The meeting was held to share and discuss the challenge of organizing youth in unions in the informal economy, just transitions & skills in the context of new technology, automation and climate change, Effective Leadership Program, and NextGEN Program.
The meeting was started by the opening remark from brother Imam, FSBMM’s Youth Leader, that addressed the need for young people in the union to be more involved in the union’s activity either in the meeting, organizing the union, or becoming the part of a leadership. Brother Imam said, the youth involvement is necessary because youth is the Next Generation of the union.
Youth involvement in organizing is seen by what happened in Serikat Pekerja Mandiri Pariwisata Yogyakarta (SPMPARYO-Independence Union of Yogyakarta Tourism) where Brother Janu, the elected president of SPMPARYO, shared his struggles regarding the challenge to organize workers in informal economy. He said that there is still a lot of negative judgement going on among informal workers about unions that makes it difficult for him and other organizers to convince them to become part of the union. Despite the challenge, Brother Janu and SPMPARYO organizers make different strategies to ensure more workers in the informal sector get enough information about the union. He and his team make one database that has all of the information regarding the union, what union do, their activities, etc. Then, they make the database as a QR Code and make it into a sticker. So when they’re organizing in one area, they will distribute the sticker to all the informal workers that present.
Brother Janu from SPMPARYO is explaining the challenge in organizing workers in informal economy.
QR stickers: one of the organizing tools from SPMPARYO.
Climate change is part of the main discussion in this meeting. As we all know that youth would be the one who face the great impact of climate change so the union should take a step to help all the workers minimize the impact. FSBMM’s youth committee did the training with WALHI, an NGO who focused on climate change, to understand more about climate change and its impact on workers. Through the training, the representatives of FSBMM’s youth committee shared that climate change does impact the workers. For instance, the quality of the milk that cows produce will be decreased in the dry season because food supply for the cows will be difficult to get. Union can help to minimize the impact to the workers with collective agreement, including the clause about climate change will help workers to get as minimum impact from climate change.
Brother Humam from FSBMM is explaining the impact of climate change to the workers.
In line with the meeting theme, “Youth in Unions – Building Union Power for the Future,” this meeting focuses on how important young people are for the future of unions. To ensure they’re ready to take on leadership roles, we want to help build their confidence in decision-making. By giving them the tools and support they need, we can help them feel more confident about shaping the future of unions.
Additionally, the meeting aimed to engage youth in interactive sessions that emphasized critical thinking, collective action, and strategic organizing. These activities encouraged youth to take a more active role in union work, contribute to policy discussions, and advocate for workers’ rights both locally and globally. Moving forward, these activities should be followed by a more in-depth training on effective leadership.
Youth’s engaging in leadership group work.
It is key to create a space where young people feel comfortable and safe within the union. When they feel supported and heard, they’re more likely to speak up and take action. This kind of environment helps boost their confidence and leadership skills. By focusing on both, we’re not just preparing youth for the future – we’re building the future of unions together.
27 Februari 2025 – Indonesia Joint Youth Meeting di Yogyakarta diadakan. Pertemuan ini mempertemukan 35 pemuda dari FSPM, FSBMM, dan PERKASA untuk saling berbagi dan membahas tantangan pengorganisasian serikat pekerja di sektor informal, transisi yang adil untuk perubahan iklim, transisi yang adil dan keterampilan ramah lingkungan, Effective Leadership Program, dan Program NextGEN.
Pertemuan diawali dengan sambutan dari Brother Imam, Ketua Pemuda FSBMM, yang menyampaikan perlunya generasi muda di serikat untuk lebih terlibat dalam kegiatan serikat baik dalam pertemuan, pengorganisasian serikat, maupun menjadi bagian dari kepemimpinan. Menurut Brother Imam, keterlibatan pemuda sangat diperlukan karena pemuda adalah generasi penerus yang akan meneruskan perjuangan serikat.
Salah satu contoh nyata keterlibatan pemuda dalam organisasi serikat adalah yang dilakukan oleh Serikat Pekerja Mandiri Pariwisata Yogyakarta (SPMPARYO). Brother Janu, presiden terpilih dari SPMPARYO, membagikan perjuangannya mengenai tantangan untuk mengorganisir pekerja di sektor ekonomi informal. Menurutnya, masih banyak stigma negatif tentang serikat pekerja di kalangan pekerja informal, sehingga Ia dan pengurus lain kesulitan untuk meyakinkan mereka menjadi bagian dari serikat pekerja. Meski menghadapi tantangan, Brother Janu dan SPMPARYO membuat strategi berbeda untuk memastikan lebih banyak pekerja di sektor informal mendapatkan informasi yang cukup tentang serikat pekerja. Ia dan timnya membuat database yang berisi semua informasi tentang serikat pekerja, apa yang mereka lakukan, dan kegiatan-kegiatan mereka, lalu mengubahnya menjadi QR Code dan menempelkannya sebagai stiker. Stiker ini dibagikan ke pekerja informal ketika mereka melakukan pengorganisiran di satu wilayah, sehingga pekerja informal lain bisa dengan mudah mengakses informasi tentang serikat pekerja.
Brother Janu dari SPMPARYO sedang menjelaskan tantangan dalam mengorganisir pekerja di ekonomi informal.
Stiker QR: salah satu alat pengorganisasian dari SPMPARYO.
Selain pengorganisiran, Isu perubahan iklim juga menjadi salah satu topik utama yang dibahas dalam pertemuan ini. Seperti yang kita ketahui bersama bahwa kaum mudalah yang akan menghadapi dampak besar dari perubahan iklim, sehingga serikat pekerja perlu mulai mengambil langkah-langkah untuk melindungi pekerja dan meminimalkan dampaknya. Komite pemuda FSBMM melakukan pelatihan bersama WALHI, LSM yang fokus pada perubahan iklim, untuk memahami lebih jauh dalam dampak perubahan iklim terhadap pekerja. Melalui pelatihan tersebut, perwakilan komite pemuda FSBMM menyampaikan bahwa perubahan iklim memang berdampak pada pekerja, misalnya, kualitas susu yang dihasilkan sapi menurun saat musim kemarau karena kekurangan pakan. Serikat pekerja dapat membantu meminimalkan dampak terhadap pekerja dengan membuat kesepakatan bersama yang mencakup klausul terkait perubahan iklim, untuk meminimalisir dampak dari perubahan iklim terhadap pekerja.
Saudara Humam dari FSBMM sedang menjelaskan dampak perubahan iklim terhadap pekerja.
Sesuai dengan tema pertemuan, “Pemuda dalam Serikat Pekerja – Membangun Kekuatan Serikat untuk Masa Depan,” pertemuan ini berfokus pada betapa pentingnya generasi muda bagi masa depan serikat pekerja. Kami ingin membantu membangun kepercayaan diri pemuda dalam pengambilan keputusan untuk memastikan bahwa generasi muda siap untuk menjadi pemimpin. Dengan memberi dukungan dan keterampilan yang mereka butuhkan, kami yakin kaum muda akan lebih percaya diri dalam merancang masa depan serikat pekerja.
Selain itu, pertemuan ini bertujuan untuk melibatkan kaum muda dalam sesi interaktif yang menekankan pemikiran kritis, tindakan kolektif, dan pengorganisasian strategis. Kegiatan-kegiatan ini mendorong kaum muda untuk mengambil peran yang lebih aktif dalam serikat pekerja, berkontribusi dalam diskusi kebijakan, dan mengadvokasi hak-hak pekerja baik secara lokal maupun global. Kedepannya, kegiatan ini harus diikuti dengan pelatihan yang lebih mendalam mengenai effective leadership.
Pemuda dalam kerja kelompok kepemimpinan.
Penting juga untuk menciptakan ruang di mana kaum muda merasa nyaman dan aman dalam serikat pekerja. Ketika mereka merasa didukung dan didengarkan, pemuda cenderung akan bersuara dan mengambil tindakan. Lingkungan seperti ini membantu meningkatkan kepercayaan diri dan keterampilan kepemimpinan mereka. Dengan berfokus pada keduanya, kita tidak hanya mempersiapkan pemuda untuk masa depan – kita juga bersama-sama membangun masa depan serikat pekerja.
It is well understood that human-induced climate change is causing more frequent and intense heat waves, exposing workers to heat stress and heat stroke. This not only has a serious impact on workers’ health, but also on their incomes and livelihoods. When workers are unable to work for prolonged periods or are unable to work at all due to extreme heat, the work hours lost due to extreme heat translate into lost wages or lower incomes. As we have explained elsewhere in The Lancet Planetary Health:
Due to extreme heat and exposure to the sun, as well as other extreme weather events, the times at which agricultural workers and marginal farmers can work in plantations and fields is getting shorter. The 2021 Lancet Countdown Report warned that 79% of all potential work hours lost to extreme heat in low HDI countries occurred in the agricultural sector in 2020. This finding raises concerns that the effect of heat exposure on working hours could also affect food production, resulting in devastating economic consequences to these already vulnerable workers.
Compared with working hours in 2012, agricultural workers and marginal farmers are now starting work earlier in the morning and finishing work later in the evening to avoid the hottest part of the day. Such changes in working time to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion and heat strain are often described as climate adaptation strategies. However, in several low and medium HDI countries workers might have already reached the limit of their adaptive capacity.
Among the most vulnerable workers are women workers in the informal economy who have reached the limits of their adaptive capacity and face the “devastating economic consequences” of lost work hours due to extreme heat. Their lack of access to social protection means they face an even greater risk of income loss and poverty. In response, the IUF-affiliated Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has launched a new initiative to provide extreme heat insurance to women workers in the informal economy
SEWA’s new Heat Wave Insurance system enables members to address the urgent need to cope with extreme heat situations as well as to build their resilience to withstand its impact. Earlier this year a pilot Heat Wave Insurance system was introduced that covered 52,000 members from different trades in 22 districts. More than 46,000 members (88%) received benefits from this new insurance scheme which provided vital income support in severe heat waves.
This insurance enabled the SEWA members to avoid having to choose between protecting their health, purchasing medicines, feeding their families or financial security. Moreover, as SEWA has explained, this inclusive approach ensures that vulnerable women workers can reach beyond the physical limits of climate adaptation, thereby promoting equity and social justice. This is one of the ways to ensure a Just Transition.
See the BBC news report, “An insurance plan that protects women during extreme heat”:
In countries across the Asia-Pacific, including India, women waste pickers in the informal economy strive to recycle paper packaging, PET bottles, glass and plastic packaging, an important part of reducing waste and mitigating the environmental damage caused by pollution. At the same time, major corporations – including the world’s biggest food and personal care companies – claim to be recycling plastics, but fail to ensure the collection and recycling of their multilayered plastic packaging. This is a major source of plastics pollution in urban and rural areas and in coastal communities.
Nestlé Maggi noodles packaging at a dumpsite in Gujarat, India, is among the multilayered plastics that waste pickers do not collect because no one will buy it.
Multilayered plastic packaging is used in most of the products we consume from potato chips (crisps) and snack and biscuit packaging to the plastic sachets for detergents, liquid soaps and shampoo. However, the major companies producing these products are not taking action to ensure this kind of packaging is collected for recycling.
Since the companies are not paying to collect multilayered plastics for recycling, waste buyers have no one to sell it to. And as long as waste buyers are not buying it, there is no financial incentive for waste pickers to collect it. As a result it continues to add to massive landfills, while polluting agricultural lands, lakes and reservoirs, and coastal areas.
Without buyers, waste pickers ignore packaging like Mondelez’s Oreo wrappers.
If companies are serious about reducing multilayered plastics pollution, they must first commit to the most important part of the recycling chain: the waste pickers who collect plastics for recycling. There must be a fair financial incentive for waste pickers in the informal economy who are on the front-line of waste recycling. This in effect would generate better paid “green jobs” in the informal economy and must be a part of companies’ commitments to environmental sustainability and just transitions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Unilever’s Surf Excel is among the many detergent sachets, along with shampoo and soap sachets, causing widespread plastics pollution that is outside the scope of recycling efforts
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) members in India working in waste collection and recycling in the informal economy are saving the environment and driving just transitions.
Women workers working in the informal economy collect the waste from the dumping yards (waste landfills), sort it and supply it to the collection center for recycling. They strive to recycle paper packaging, PET bottles, glass and plastic packaging, an important part of reducing waste and mitigating the environmental damage caused by pollution.
Women workers sorting waste in the collection center for recycling.
SEWA has set up collection centers where members carefully sort and classify waste for recycling. This brings into recycling a massive volume of discarded plastic and paper that escapes the limited capacity and reach for the formal economy.
The work done by women engaged in waste picking and in collection centers for recycling is a vital contribution to efforts to save the environment and reduce pollution. While governments and international agencies allocate significant resources for “green job” creation in the future, the fact is that these women workers are already engaged in “green jobs” in the informal economy. This is also an essential part of just transitions.
Despite this, very few green economy or just transition policies, programs and strategies include workers in the informal economy.
Women working in the the green informal economy must receive greater recognition of their essential work. This recognition of their vital role also means that they deserve better wages and incomes commensurate to the value of their work, and have access to social security, health insurance and benefits as workers.
Women workers at a waste dump site collecting waste for recycling
Women workers sorting waste in the collection center for recycling
The 28th IUF Congress held in Geneva on June 13-16, 2023, passed a resolution on Achieving voice, visibility, validation of women workers in honour of Sister Ela R. Bhatt (Elaben), the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India, who passed away on November 2, 2022.
Together with the adoption of the resolution on voice, visibility and validation of women in the informal economy, the 28th IUF Congress also endorsed the proposal to recognize November 2 as a day of education, awareness, organizing and empowerment of women in the informal economy.
Every November 2, IUF affiliates will celebrate the legacy of Elaben and build upon her life’s work for the future of women in the informal economy.
