Support for Hungarian Young Trade Unionists’ Renewal Drive

IndustriAll Europe was invited to Hungary to support the first-ever retreat of the youth group of EVDSZ, the Federation of Trade Unions in the Electric Energy Industry. The event marked an important step in EVDSZ’s commitment to rejuvenating the union and strengthening the voice of young workers.

Representatives of industriAll Europe shared insights from the Organising Programme for Building Trade Union Power, offering practical tools and strategies for attracting younger workers to unions. Members of the industriAll Youth Network also presented their work and encouraged Hungarian colleagues to join the European youth network.

The exchange fostered a dynamic atmosphere and critical debate, with participants exploring how to establish a democratic youth committee structure that guarantees autonomy while connecting effectively to the wider union.

Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe, underlined:

“We welcome the building of youth networks in all of our affiliates and wish them every success in strengthening trade unions in sectors impacted by transformation. Young workers must have a say in industrial transformation, because they will be the ones working in this transformed industrial reality.”

This retreat is a concrete example of how industriAll Europe’s Organising Programme for Building Trade Union Power supports affiliates in renewal and organising. It also highlights the added value of the industriAll Youth Network, which brings together young trade unionists from across Europe to exchange, connect, and strengthen the labour movement for the future.