The majority of young workers today are not interested in trade unions or taking their frustration to the streets as their main priority is dealing with bread and butter issues, says Muda acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz.
Speaking at a Labour Day forum today, Amira said that unlike their predecessors, the current generation’s instinct to survive comes before their need to fight for their rights.
“We have to recognise that the challenges youngsters face are different from those of the previous generations. They are burdened with education debt and the rising cost of living.
“They have to think about bread and butter issues. Their priority is to put food on the table.
“It is difficult for them to think about other rights,” she said at the forum, themed “History, Rights, and Labour’s Responsibility in Democracy”.
The Puteri Wangsa assemblyman said today’s young workers take their frustration to social media instead of trade unions.
“The fact that social media movements are getting bigger is something we should celebrate and utilise.
“Politicians should take up these complaints and fight for them,” she said.
Fellow panellist Zouhair Rosli, a senior researcher with DM Analytics Malaysia, opined that young workers perceive trade unions to be too busy with politics.
“Some workers’ unions are useless and too busy playing racial politics and praising the government. When workers file reports (with the unions), they shelve these reports,” he claimed.
Zouhair also said not enough jobs are available for graduates, and many employers deny jobs to fresh graduates with the excuse that they lack soft skills.
“But this is not true. Did our fathers and grandfathers have soft skills when they started working?
“If you say they lack soft skills, why not give the graduates jobs first? They will develop these skills later,” he said.
