Youth leadership and empowerment is a dynamic and essential focus of the Associated Labor Union’s advocacy, reflecting the commitment to nurturing the next generation of workers and leaders. The ALU advocates to ensure that young workers are not only prepared to take on future challenges, but are also meaningfully contributing and actively shaping the direction of the labor movement. This is a reflection of ALU’s commitment to nurturing talent, fostering engagement, and building a more inclusive and effective union for the future.
In commitment to the advocacy of youth leadership and empowerment, the Associated Labor Unions established a youth committee, the ALU Youth, chaired by an Ex Officio Representative to the National Executive Board. The committee aims to engage, empower, and elevate the voices of the younger generation in labor issues, ensuring their concerns and perspectives are integrated into unions’ agendas, policies, and initiatives.
The ALU Youth actively participates and engages in a number of campaigns and local and international initiatives, including the Just Transition Campaign in the Philippines. The committee worked on including the labor agenda in the Just Transition Campaign, increased awareness on the impact of the climate crisis in local unions through education programs, and assisted in the formulation of collective bargaining agreement provisions on Just Transition. ALU Youth is also one of the National Convenors of the Youth for Just Transition Network Philippines (Y4JT) – a multi-sectoral youth network pushing for Just Transition.