Participants came from trade unions across Europe, including Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Germany and France. They shared experiences and organising practices, and looked at how digital technologies, social media and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing workplaces, politics and society. The aim was to give young trade unionists the knowledge, skills and tools to organise, engage and mobilise workers online.

Rafal Hojna from Jarrow Insights opened the programme with sessions on AI, social listening and the digital economy. He named three major challenges facing the labour movement today: the rise of the far right, the widening technology gap between unions and employers, and the difficulty of attracting and engaging younger workers.

Participants examined who owns and controls today’s digital infrastructure, from social media platforms and cloud services to AI systems. They discussed what it means for workers when a few corporations control so much information and data. Like earlier industrial transformations, digitalisation brings both risks and opportunities for workers and their unions.

One message ran through all three days: unions must strengthen their digital and technical skills, because data, algorithms and AI increasingly shape workplaces, communication and organising.

The programme also introduced social listening tools. These tools analyse publicly available online conversations to understand what worries workers, what their grievances are and what they think. Through practical examples, participants looked at how the tools can support organising campaigns, identify workplace issues and help unions communicate better, while respecting privacy and workers’ rights.

In interactive workshops, organising expert Orlagh Fawl worked with participants on strategic communication. They explored how unions can develop clearer messages, understand their audiences better and use digital tools to support their organising goals.

The training stressed that recruitment alone is not enough. Strong unions are built through organising, workplace participation and collective action, so that workers solve problems together and build lasting power. In exercises and group discussions, participants explored how communication can support organising and how young workers can strengthen union influence in workplaces and society.

Participants left Bruges with new skills, practical tools and fresh ideas to take back to their unions and workplaces.

Commenting on the training, industriAll Europe’s Deputy General Secretary Isabelle Barthès said:

“Technology is transforming how people work, communicate and organise. Trade unions must evolve just as quickly. Young trade unionists have a crucial role to play in shaping this transformation. They can use new communication tools to engage workers, counter misinformation, strengthen solidarity and build collective power in the digital age.”