EPOC Network Summer School 2025: “RETAIN & GROW”

Instilling an organising culture into our unions at every level is an urgent priority for trade unions across Europe. Even unions that are relatively strong have seen many years of downward pressure and many have witnessed a hollowing out of workplace level structures of shop stewards/workplace reps/union delegates/works councillors that is the bedrock of strong trade unionism. How can we turn this around? How do we build up a union with a high level of involvement through systematically identifying workplace leaders, campaigning on the right issues and high worker engagement? And how can we turn this activity into the mass signing up of new members? If you’re curious about these and other union questions around organising and union renewal, you’re kindly invited to a two-day Summer School of UNI Europa which will provide a broad-based introduction on how to tackle these questions.

Objectives of the summer school

The summer school will run over two days with two specific focuses (RETAIN & GROW) for developing participants understanding:

Day One: A plan to RETAIN members

Focus on retaining the members that our unions already have as the basis to build union membership and industrial power. The first day will explore mapping workplaces and bargaining units before identifying what practical steps we can take to empower both workplace leaders and full-time organisers to put together clear plans to retain membership over the medium and long term.

Day Two: Digital tools and lead generation to GROW

Focus on initiating contact with workers who are outside of our unions’ traditional spheres of communication. This includes workers in emerging under-unionised sectors. In particular the second day will dive into the different tools that can be utilised from social media platforms to messaging apps as well as what messaging to avoid.

The objectives of this workshop are:

• To explore how unions can better retain members and use this as a basis to growing with new groups of workers
• To demonstrate to participants the similarities of the challenges we face as trade unions in Europe and promote direct networking between organisers.
• To encourage participants to consider the practical steps that their union can take to increase their union power in relation to membership, activist density and delivering for members at the bargaining table.
• To highlight to participants the ongoing and in-depth support that is available to their union via EPOC, COZZ & SEEOC.

Target audience

This workshop is primarily targeted at unions who are currently exploring renewing their approaches to organising and trade union. These two days will provide a quick tour of the methodology without going into detail in any area that creates issues around union confidentiality in a multi-union environment.

Each union is different but we would particularly encourage participation from leading officers in your union with responsibility for:

• Organising and membership growth
• Education and training
• Negotiations and collective bargaining
• Sector or regional leadership.

We would particularly encourage the participation of women.

This workshop will also be open to colleagues in UNI Europa, the ETUC and our sister ETUFs who are at various stages of setting up initiatives around organising and union renewal.

Draft Programme

Registration

The workshop is going to be held in English, interpretation can be provided for any languages that need it. Please state in the registration form your language needs.

We can offer reimbursement for costs incurred (flights, accommodation and meals). If you have any doubts/questions don’t hesitate to reach out to Ben Egan, UNI Europa Organising Director, or Andoni Iriondo, UNI Europa Coordinator for Organising.