From 17–19 November, young members from Romania, Cyprus, France, Italy, Türkiye, Poland, Finland, North Macedonia, Germany and Bulgaria took part in a three-day programme at the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) in Turin.
The Young Social Dialogue Champions academy, funded by the EU and run by industriAll Europe together with ITCILO ACTRAV, aims to equip young trade union members with the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to tackle the biggest challenges that young workers and apprentices are facing in the transforming world of work.
Over three days, participants took part in interactive workshops, presentations and peer-to-peer exchanges on organising, communication, campaigning, and the situation of young people in the labour and housing market.
IndustriAll Europe’s President, Michel Vassiladis, sent a supportive message to the young unionists, restating his support for the youth work in the upcoming mandate: “The support of young members, youth ideas and to give them power is something I take very serious! Responding to young member’s call for better involvement is key to increase youth participation and density in our movement! The work needs to happen at all levels. The achievements of the Youth Working Group over the last four years have shown that support leads to results. That’s why we remain committed to the priority of strengthening youth involvement in the next mandate period"
Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of Social Policies at Eurofound, presented the latest data on the housing and labour market challenges facing young people across Europe. The presentation sparked a lively discussion, with participants comparing national experiences and identifying common challenges.
Bianca Luna Fabris from ETUI presented the research study “When trade unions learn to innovate”, showing how unions in nine countries are developing new methods, experimenting, and reinventing themselves to better organise workers.
A masterclass led by Jonathan Dunn-Santos introduced an e-toolkit on digital campaigning and advocacy. Participants explored how to choose the right platforms, shape effective communication strategies, and use storytelling to mobilise workers.
ITCILO ACTRAV also provided practical guidance and digital tools on how to organise and engage young workers in the workplace.
On the final day, representatives from Romania, Germany and Italy shared concrete examples of successful organising, including:
• building strong youth structures within unions
• achieving results through collective bargaining
• effective communication with young workers
• training strategies that increase participation and retention
The participants also discussed next steps for the industriAll Europe Youth network following the Congress in Budapest in June 2025. Participants welcomed the election of Romain Dargent (France) and Giacomo Cossu (Italy) as co-chairs for the next mandate period.
The discussions in Turin send a clear political message: involving young workers is essential to building a fair and sustainable labour market. Housing insecurity, rising living costs, precarious contracts and shrinking collective bargaining coverage continue to affect young people disproportionately. Ensuring good quality jobs must therefore remain at the core of Europe’s political and social agenda.
“Congratulations to the Youth Working Group for a very active start after our Congress in Budapest! We will continue to support our young members to get actively involved in all relevant trade union structures. With the European Youth Strategy in the making, they will have a great plan for the upcoming mandate period to strengthen youth involvement at all levels” said Isabelle Barthès, industriAll Europe’s Deputy General Secretary.