‘Young Social Dialogue Champions’ Academy’ kicks off

The two-year project is carried out in cooperation with the Programme for Workers’ Activities of the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ACTRAV ITCILO), based in Turin, Italy. Participation is open to all industriAll Europe members below 35 years of age.
The new project is based on an innovative learning method which combines regional meetings with online masterclass modules and will empower young participants to actively contribute towards making trade unions and social dialogue youth-inclusive.

The project will focus on:

• Ensuring quality jobs for young people in the European industry 
• Developing a well-informed foresight for a successful trade union and youth strategy
• Strengthening campaigning and advocacy skills for advancing youth rights at the workplace in the industries 
• Reaching a youth-inclusive social dialogue and collective bargaining, particularly in view of the twin green and digital transition
• Building sustainable trade unions with meaningful youth involvement 

Involving young people in trade unions in a meaningful way is a ‘win-win’ for all. It leads to stronger youth involvement and higher youth membership, as well as better collective bargaining results for young workers and apprentices, therefore improving working conditions and pay. IndustriAll Europe began its work to support its young members’ demand for greater youth participation in trade union structures three years ago. Our young members’ commitment over these past years has led to significant results, in some cases increasing youth membership by 10%. 

“We are determined to continue to support our young members’ efforts to actively participate in their trade unions, to attract more young people to the movement, and to strengthen youth structures. This new project will contribute to the capacity development of our young members and empower them to become young social dialogue champions!” said Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe. 

“During our Mid-Term Conference in Thessaloniki last year, we promised our young members to help them get on the trade union stage. Ahead of our upcoming Congress in Budapest next June, we are now discussing how to better involve young trade unionists in our structures, including in decision-making bodies, not whether to do so. This new project provides us with the perfect opportunities to move forward in this debate” continued Judith Kirton-Darling.

“Involving young people in trade unions is more important than ever, especially when considering the worrying rise of the Far Right and the studies pointing out that more and more young people fall in their trap of false promises. It is our responsibility as trade unions to win back these young people and to offer them responses to their economic and social worries and lead them away from the fallacies of the Far Right. We need to show them that their place is in a trade union and that only through our collective efforts will their situation improve. This project will provide us with the necessary resources to address the most burning issues that young people are facing today” concluded Judith Kirton-Darling.