Will give young people more job security

At the end of January , the newly established youth committee met, YTF Young, for the very first time. Eight young YTF -ers are on the committee, and Wilhelm Thon Wicklund (35) has been given the task of leading the committee.

Wicklund, who drives the Oslo Metro on a daily basis, is looking forward to working specifically with the needs of young employees in the transportation industry.

About YTF Young

• YTF has established a separate youth committee called YTF Young.
• The committee will contribute perspectives and input from members under the age of 35.
• Do you have any thoughts, experiences or suggestions on what YTF should work more with young people in the transport professions, YTF Young would love to hear from you.
• You can send your input or questions to ytf

– I think it is crucial for all trade unions to be able to meet the needs of young people. Young people must see how membership benefits them. Young people are the members of the future, and if we are not relevant to them, recruitment will stop, says Wicklund.

– But what are the needs of young people today?

– Much is probably similar to the needs of older workers, but we also see that young people have slightly different needs, for example in terms of skills and mental health, Wicklund answers, adding that work with young people can also be about raising awareness.

– Some people think that the big battles have been won, and that we have all the rights we can get. Others may think that it is not that important, that they get the same salary whether they are a member or not. And then we have those who think that the offer of legal assistance is irrelevant to them, they should not get into any conflict.

Wicklund believes that this type of resistance to organizing can be met through information and awareness-raising. But he also understands that some of the greater financial benefits of membership do not appear as relevant to the youngest workers. Good prices on mortgages, home insurance and life insurance may be perceived as less relevant when you are still renting a home, Wicklund points out.

At the first meeting in YTF The committee agreed on four main themes for future work: recruitment and visibility, competence and continuing education, job security and mental health, and community.

– We see that there are many young people who struggle in working life. And we know that there are many who struggle with holding down a job. They can feel a lack of well-being. And they can feel an absence of a sense of mastery. All of this creates unnecessary stress, and often sick leave.

Wilhelm Thon Wicklund, head of YTF Young

– Why has it become like this?

– It's a big question, and there are many theories around this, including the effect social media has on the need for affirmation among young people. But I think what's important is that we look at how we as shop stewards can play a useful role when we know that this is the situation.

Wicklund believes that shop stewards can successfully make themselves available as a supervisor or mentor for young employees.

– Not all questions you want to ask your boss are necessarily the ones you want to ask. And if the boss has 300 people under him or her, he or she may not have time to meet with you. It's easy to imagine how a young employee might feel like he or she is a nuisance when they wonder about something, says Wicklund.

He does not believe that union representatives should fix all problems, but that they can help solve some of the challenges, and that they can be a safe haven for members to come to when they have questions.

According to Wicklund, the challenges within mental health are often linked to uncertainty related to competence.

– This is about the same thing. As an employee, you need to be confident that you have the knowledge you need and that you have the right skills. Let's say you meet a 55-year-old employee who has worked in the company for 20 years. I would think that he is quite confident in his job performance. He knows what is the best way, he may even think that he knows better than the instructions or guidelines. For many young people it can be quite the opposite, says Wicklund.

He believes there are many young employees who constantly doubt whether they are doing things right.

– I think this applies to employees right up to my own age. They wonder if they remember correctly, and they want to ask someone what to do or if what they have done is good enough.

– It sounds like Generation Z, also known as Generation Achievement, needs support wheels?

– Unfortunately, I think that's the case. Talking about a generation in general is a simplification, but there is something to this. We know that many in this generation tend to worry about whether they are good enough. At the same time, many of them don't want to be a bother. Then they can end up carrying around an insecurity, and that's not good. I believe that overcoming these concerns is the most important part of our competence goal.

For three years, Wicklund was a board member of the Helgedagsbetjeningens Forening in Sporveien. He describes his time on the board as very educational, and wants to take good experiences from this department with him to the next level. YTF Young.

– Stian Haldsrud, who is the leader there, is concerned that everyone should be properly involved in the work. Stian always delegated tasks and made sure that we all felt that we were involved and participated in the work. I learned a lot from being on that board, and I hope that I bring some of that learning with me to the committee, says Wicklund.

He himself has heard of departmental boards where board members are less active.

– I have heard of boards where the leader, or the leader and deputy leader, do 90 percent of the work. I have also heard of boards where members only get to know something if they ask for it. There may be many reasons why this is the case. It may even be done with the best intentions because you do not want to impose work on the board members. But I do not think it is wise. Firstly, it becomes an unnecessary amount of work for the leader. Secondly, you do not get the advantage of having more people looking at the issues. And thirdly, you do not get to recruit and develop new elected officials.

The latter is one of the main objectives of YTF Young – to ensure the recruitment of new and younger shop stewards.

– Several people on the committee have mentioned that “yes, our leader – and really all the shop stewards – they are quite old people. And that’s how it’s always been”. It’s clear that experience is important, but I think we also need shop stewards that the young employees feel they can relate to.

– You are 35 years old now, are you young enough to lead? YTF Young?

– It's true that I'm not that young anymore myself, and I'm no expert on how to reach 19-year-olds, or 21-year-olds. But I really think it's a good example of how we on the committee have to try to figure things out together.