Conclusions of the subjects 2007

Theme 2007: the future of young laborers in the cultural/arts sector

REPORT

SOCIAL DIALOGUE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF YOUNG LABOURERS in the CULTURAL SECOR
AN EZA-SEMINAR with the financial help of the EU
JULY 29 – AUG.2, 2007

CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
Location: SBI Confewrence Centre, Doorn, the Netherlands
Organised by the CNV KUNSTENBOND
And partner organizations around Europe

THE FUTURE OF YOUNG LABOURERS IN THE CULTURAL SECTOR

The plenairy meetings have subjects that are connected. Here you read the short concept of each lecture. This is prepared in cooperation with the EZA and the EU. Thanks their support we can discuss this matter and see what we can do for the youth of Europe.

The structure of the day included besides this plenairy daily meeting: a forum (to ask questions to the speaker), discussion groups, special workshops, masterclasses and plenairy evening presentations.

PARTICIPATING:
68 professional teachers and young artists; 103 participants; 20 day-visitors and 22 professional staff. Together 213 persons (70% under 30 years!) coming from: Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Lituhania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, UK, USA: 16 nations to make possible a useful discussion as the cultural sector is a real accross borders sector; coming from training institutes, trade-unions, school/university-systems, churches, political parties , etc.

An alarming number YOUTH of 18,4% (EU) has no work. What does this mean and how is the situation in the cultural sector? How we can get out of this rift? What are possible solutions, trends and opportunities?

DAY 1 • sunday, July 29 • A GENERAL OVERVIEW: speaker: Dr.Jet Weigand-Timmer (the Netherlands) (CNV, Christian Social Congres, etc)
TO WAKE UP AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEORIES HAVE NOW AN INCREDIBLE EFFECT ON YOU! THOSE THEORIES HAVE RESHAPED THE WORLD INTO A GLOBAL VILLAGE...
Views on society produces different approaches in the field of laws, regulations, social engeneering,for the make up of our world. The major clash is to find in the liberal market economy (ruled by share holder value ) ruling thought in the USA and UK and the social economy of Continental Europe, that is based on Christian Social thinking of the last 120 years. Those two opposite views decide on the meaning, purpose and value of work. It will decide how people are prepared for work, mobility, flexability, how they deal with globalisation, etc. And finally: what can I do to escape this struggle for dominance? The Christian Social thinking is THE answer to all the mentioned dilemna’s. And that starts with good education, stable families, qualified schooling and on-going training.

DAY 2 • monday, July 30 • THE FUTURE OF YOUNG WORKERS. OUTSOURCING: DANGER FOR YOUTH OR OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW KIND OF JOBS? Speaker: Dr.Zsuzsanna Detrich (Hungary-Germany)
Youth unemployment is 2,3 times higher as adult unemployment. Measures and provisions to help youth in the transition from schools to work seems difficult, as youth is not a homogenous group; several groups are more vulnerable like: migrants, young women, youth in rural areas, young refugees. A second growing problem is the low birth-rate in the EU. So does the problem solve itself in a number of years?
Work in some sectors is moving to eastern European nations or is part of outsourcing to China, Vietnam, India, all with less costs and less demands related to labour costs, health and safety regulations. Is this loss of simple industry-work a real loss? What is the message towards western youth of this process? Moven to new challenges! And do not live forever on wellfare! Or is the future in alternative volunteer activities? A year of social duties? Re-training, re-schooling, what are the possibilities? Or is the solution the demografic changes that will happen in appr. 10 - 15 years? (millions will retire, to keep western economies running, foreseen is the import of millions of new workers and now from eastern europe , instead from islamitic nations or africa); so there is work for every young person, as long they don’t complaint? The real problem lies in our consumer-society. Solutions:

• Corporate Social Responsability
• global environment protection
• global protection of workers rights
• the principle of subsidiarity: empowering people on the lowest levels.

And for Europe for youth is work in the new sectors:

• digital culture (graphic designing, dtp, websites, etc)
• tourism, leisure, and make cultural diversity visible

And we should not forget that BACKSOURCING is already happening!

DAY 3 • tuesday, July 31 • THE ULTIMATE REALITY: SCHOOL + TRAINING = WORK. Speaker: Aart Jan de Geus (Netherlands-France) (Former minister of social affairs, now 2nd general secretary OECD,Paris)
This lecure showed situations where immigrant students succeed. And whereever we go, we see many immigrant students around the globe and for sure in Europe. But in spite of that: immigrant youth lags behind on the labor market!

1. There is a relation between education/school/studies/diploma’s and the access to work. How lower the education/training how smaller the chance to get decent work, decent pay.
2. We see a growing trend of job-hopping among young workers in the first years.
3. There is a relation between ethnicity and the access to work. Employers prefer white young people instead of Marocs, Turks. Or employers prefer hardworking Poles, Latvians, Bulgarians (who earn less and do not complain).

SO WHAT TO DO?

• we have to change our education systems so we do better with immigrant youth
• doing nothing is no alternative (think about violence, crime, drugs)
• education needs to focus even on the individual needs of any student
• changing the attitude of teachers, change of the climat and approach of schools
• learning the local/national language

DAY 4 • wednesday, Aug. 1 • THE PROMISE OF CULTURAL INDUSTRIES Speaker: Dr.Keith Hackett (UK)
More and new jobs become created, especially in the cultural sector. But most work is ‘outsourced’ to the so called ‘selfemployed’ as big and small companies do NOT want to employ personel anymore. Persons are hired for a short-time work-order. Work is so much more as income. It is as well part of social cohesion, it helps a life with sense/meaning, it fights exclusion; it helps integration. So what are possibilities and the dark sides of being ‘self-employed in the cultural industries. Even if the knowledge economy gives more work to young people.
In a growing number of nations the cultural sector brings in more money as the classic heavy industry (steel, mining, etc). The new importance of the ‘cultural industries’. So how can a city or nation’s cultural capital be used to increase jobs especially for th young. The possibilities and the dark side of being selfemployed looks so much alike what happened in the early UK industrial revolution, so what do we learn from history, past and present? That small enterprises and self-employed are the least to participate in continued training programs (life long learning). And the fast growing creative sector needs ongoing training, specific support, specific assistance. If not done, they leave this ‘booming’ sector within 10 years. So what is wanted:

• special training for young people in this sector
• appropriate working places
• appropriate finance provisions for investment and developments
• retirement provisions for the flex and selfemployed, small businesses, etc, sothat the creative people can stay working in this sector, where so much depends on for the EU

And here the conclusion is, that such provisions can only be realised if those workers ORGANISE themselves. Here the trade unions are challenged to organise the flex-workers and the selfemployed. As is proved with the FNV and CNV in the Netherlands: the selfemployed sections grow fast in membership.

THE GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS:

1. 1. The Knowledge Economy/ Cultural Sector are the fastests growing sectors of the EU. The EU green and whitebooks suggestions have proved to be correct growth sectors in these area’s.
   2. And proven is that these sectors give work to a growing number of young workers
2. As the flex & mobility is so extreme high in this sector, special measures must be made to keep the talented persons within this sector. These political/law measures should include:
   • New forms of training/life long learning ESPECIALLY for this sector, as knowledge and skills are outdated after some years, so reason for young workers to step out of this sector
   • special TAX regulations related to these needed forms of training
   • special TAX regulations and INVESTMENT provisions for appropriate working places
   • Special retirements provisions for the workers (flex and selfemployed) in this sector
3. Many of those workers think that with some insurances you are covered enough. This is proven NOT to be true. So the need to ORGANISE this workforce within (new) trade-unions is important. Only the trade-unions (c.q. associations) seem to have the powers to demand and create the needed changes and provisions.
4. As those (young) workers are not directly employed by companies/firms (so the collactive bargains decide on those issues) safety, working hours and such are reported to be growing problems (as the flex and especially the selfemployed are NOT under such collective bargains). More study is required here. Here is as well a role for the trade-unions.
5. The huge numbers of hours done per day by the flex and selfemployed makes family life, raising children and social life almost impossible. This is another reasons why young workers after some years step out of this sector. Here is a role for employers (corporate social responsability).