Linking young trade unionists in Nicaragua and the United Kingdom

(14/09/2009) The first two years of the very successful project Linking Young Trade Unionists has just come to an end. The Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group (NSCAG) has been working in partnership with the FNT (National Workers Front), the Nicaraguan TUC equivalent, with considerable support from UNISON.

In Nicaragua, the project aims to enable young people to participate more effectively in their trade unions by encouraging more young people to be involved, providing training and strengthening youth structures to develop a future generation of trade union leaders. The project has also built links between young members in the UK and Nicaragua and coordinated a number of international solidarity-building activities, supported by UK trusts and trade unions, including UNISON.

Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America, with workers generally facing increasing informalisation, public sector cuts, low wages and rising unemployment as a result of recession. Seventy per cent of the population is under 30. These young people face twice the unemployment rate of their older colleagues and those in work are often less able to access the rights and benefits available to them. Many end up in informal work or emigrating to other countries.

The FNT and its member unions have therefore prioritised involving more young people in confronting the difficulties they face, and enable them, as the next generation of trade union leaders, to play a greater part in fighting for their rights. The project has helped to involve young people in trade union life and raised their awareness of workers’ rights and the social responsibilities of the trade union movement.

Support from UNISON covered the costs of FNT seminars and workshops, which led to the setting up of youth committees with the FNT and its member federations and enabled them to hold their first two national youth assemblies. Over two years, more than 440 young people were trained in organising, leadership, confidence building, union responsibilities strategic planning and labour law.

In the UK, unions are also working to attract more young workers. Young people are increasingly aware of global linkages and raising awareness about the work done by unions on a global scale is an important way of both attracting young people to unions and showing their importance internationally. Alongside the work in Nicaragua, the project aimed to encourage young people in the UK to become active both in their unions and in the international trade union movement through encouraging young member solidarity, building youth networks and solidarity links through speaker tours, exchange workshops and young member delegations.

NSCAG is now working with the FNT and UK trade unions to plan the second phase of this project which will build on achievements.

For more information about the project plus news of the 2010 young member delegation and December 2009 speaker tour go to NSCAG young trade unionists

To find out more about the project and about UNISON solidarity activity with Nicaragua please email NSCAG at nscag@nicaraguasc.org.uk

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