Documentaries : In English - Freeter Union ? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=godii2n37nk French Arte Documentary : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk-ugYzteqY /// Personal Note : Time for a larger awareness of international solidarity networks of freeters ? And self organization through cooperative frameworks ? Does anyone know freeter unions in Europe ? I notice "lost generation" coming together via initiatives such as this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCocK4bKIFE http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/stream Sites such as couchsurfing.com , and other hospitalitysites, may also be converging a number of "freeters"... /// Synopsis ( of Freeter Union Documentary ) Freedom and Survival -- The Freeter Union" is the story of a Japanese Union created in 2004 in Tokyo through and for Freeters. Freeters are mostly young japanese people, who work precariously. In the earlier times it was often a conscious choice, creating an alternative life style apart from the mainstream career in the Japanese Cooperations. But nowaday, especially since the burst of the economic bubble in the 1990ies and through the crisis in 2008, young people often have no other choice and becoming a Freeter starts to be an existential necessity to survive in a society build upon work as the most important value and identity. So the union has the goal of fighting unjust work conditions to regain freedom as well as giving solidarity and emotional support to each other in their everyday lives, partially also through living together, which is quite unusual in Japan. Since 2004, more and more grass root groups have built up in other japanese cities and diverse sub groups have emerged like the Kyabakura Union or the Gas Station Union, which are organised inside the General Freeter Union. Through the Union, the Freeters are able to collectively defend their survival and support and empower themselves through direct actions against unfair working conditions and bad bosses and solidarity with each other. /// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeter *Freeter* (フリーター *furītā*?<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets>) (other possible spellings are *furītā*, *furiita*, *freeta*, *furiitaa*, or * furitaa*) is a Japanese <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language> expression for people between the ages of 15 and 34 who lack full time employment or are unemployed, excluding housewives<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housewife> and students. The term originally included young people who deliberately chose not to become salary-men <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaryman>, even though jobs were available at the time. Freeters may also be described as *underemployed<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underemployed> * or freelance <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelance> workers. These people do not start a career after high school or university, but instead earn money from low skilled and low paid jobs. The low income makes it difficult for freeters to start a family, and the lack of qualifications makes it difficult to start a career at a later point in life. Freeters have sometimes been described as people pursuing their dreams and trying to live life to the fullest http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeter Les *freeter* sont un phénomène relativement récent au Japon. Le mot fut utilisé pour la première fois vers 1987, pendant la bulle économique<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_%C3%A9conomique_japonais>, et se référait aux jeunes gens choisissant délibérément de ne pas travailler malgré un grand nombre de postes vacants à ce moment précis.À cette période, les gens avaient une vision quelque peu romantique des personnes poursuivant leurs rêves et essayant de vivre leur vie pleinement. [évasif] <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Contenu_%C3%A9vasif> Dans les premières années du xxie siècle<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/XXIe_si%C3%A8cle>, le nombre de *freeter* augmenta rapidement. On les a estimé en : - 1982 à 0,5 million de *freeter* au Japon ; - 1987 à 0,8 million ; - 1992 à 1,01 million ; - 1997 à 1,5 million. Les chiffres officiels diffèrent beaucoup selon les estimations ; on a ainsi compté 4,17 millions de *freeter* pour l’année 2001, et 2 millions, soit approximativement 3 % de la population active, en 2002. On pense qu’en 2014, il y aura environ 10 millions de *freeter* au Japon. L’augmentation rapide de leur nombre et leur impact dans la société<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_japonaise> inquiètent les Japonais.