Ottawa – March 21, 2013 – UFCW Canada is promoting a new youth leadership initiative aimed at educating young Canadians about workplace health safety, employee rights, and fairness on the job. The contest is seeking original youth-made videos on how to work safe and smart on the job in order to prevent injuries and illnesses at work.

The initiative is open to high school students across Canada and young people between the ages of 18-24 who are not in high school. Winners will be selected from every region of the country and are eligible for cash prizes of up to $3,000. The winning videos will be posted on the contest website and will also be entered in an international video competition where participants can win additional prizes. The deadline for entries is April 5, 2013.  

According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, each year more than 6,200 young workers are injured seriously enough to require time off work. The fact that 17 youth are injured on the job every day underscores the need for raising greater awareness of workplace health and safety and labour rights among young workers.

"As a longstanding promoter of workplace health and safety, our union believes that awareness-raising and knowing your rights is key to protecting workers on the job, and that is why we support this exciting contest," says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. "By getting involved and educating their peers about health and safety rights, young people can make a difference in the workplace."

To find out more about the video contest and how you can participate, visit the contest website at www.youtube.com/yourjobvotretravail.