Successfully completed regional Trade Union Academy for young activists

At Zlatibor (Serbia), the international training for trade union activists from countries of the region ended with ceremony of certificate awarding to the participants. During the program, participants have been introduced to the concept of trade union activism, at the same time considering how they can fight more intensively and actively for the rights of young people throughout the trade union.

It has been jointly concluded that trade unions represent an important factor in civil society, but that it is necessary to work on their organizational reform, rejuvenation of membership and changing the image of trade unions in general public, especially among young people. In this regard, during the Academy, participants also participated in development of the campaign “Trade unions are IN – engage, act, influence”, whose implementation is planned once the individual local actions end.

“Young attendees of the Academy have acquired a number of practical and useful information and skills that will help them both in their own further trade union activities and in contact with their peers, when presenting the importance of trade unions to them. Goal is to strengthen these structures in order to give a new impetus to strengthening of civil society, especially bearing in mind that since ancient times it is the trade union that is defined as main protector and promoter of labor rights, which refers also to the rights of young people in this segment of their lives, said program director Development Center for Youth, Mrs. Aleksandra Knežević, during the closing ceremony.

Trade Union Academy is just one of the activities within the project “Trade unions and their youth sections – new impetus for youth participation”, which is being implemented in the period January-December 2020 with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. Its program and methodology are based on the results of a previously conducted survey on the sample of 600 young people from Serbia, Republika Srpska/Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Greece, focusing on topics that young trade union activists have identified as significant ones during this research.

In continuation of the process, participants will, in the role of peer educators, transfer acquired knowledge and skills to colleagues from their working and immediate trade union environment, and then become part of the above-mentioned regional campaign.