TRADE UNION RENEWAL- FACING THE CHALLENGES AND CREATING NEW STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITING NEW AND ACTIVE TRADE UNION MEMBERS.

The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM), with the support of ITUC and Union to Union organized and realized a specialized one-day workshop dedicated for providing trainings to representatives from different branch trade unions, members of SSM, on the subject of TRADE UNION RENEWAL - FACING THE CHALLENGES AND CREATING NEW STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITING NEW AND ACTIVE TRADE UNION MEMBERS with the main goal of providing improvement of their capacities and skills for recruiting new members on local level and employers’ level in different sectors, making them competent trade union activists who will act as promoters of the trade unions in the future and the ones who will enable growth in the trade union membership in the public sector and the private sector.

Trade union renewal is without a doubt every trade union main focus point.

Gaining new membership and especially young and active trade union members and activists was and remains SSM’s main goal over the years and taking into account the awareness of the slow progress in terms of the growth of trade union membership, and perhaps even its decline as the main problem unions are facing not only in this region, but throughout the world, we can say that today the trade union renewal is a goal that stands highest on SSM's work strategy. Because of all the reasons mentioned above, the workshop was dedicated exactly to the trade union renewal with a special focus on facing the existing challenges and creating new strategies for recruitment and it was organized in two parts.

• The first part was arranged in a way which allowed more experienced trade union activists, now having high functions in the SSM’s hierarchy to share their experiences and methods they used over the years which allowed them to act successfully in SSM as the oldest and biggest Macedonian trade union, but also to act  successfully among the trade union organizations on local level and at employers’ level with the main purpose of finding a way to make workers’ who are not trade union members, no matter the sector, to understand the importance of the trade unions and become their members in the nearest future.

Through presentations and active participation of all present participants everything important about the way trade unions can be promoted in person by explaining the trade union main goal, purpose and organization was emphasized which will mean one step closer to making every worker realize on his own and much easier that being part of the trade unions can only mean improvement of their labour rights and their protection, better working condition and wages and with that better life standards or in conclusion it will make every worker realize that trade union membership can bring only benefits and in no way can bring them harm. Wide discussion followed between the trainers and the participants with sharing many ideas about what should the branch trade unions from the public sector and the private sector do and in what direction should their activities be pointed at and focused on of course based on the work of their most skilled activists, so they can achieve what allows and keeps trade unions existence and that is an increase in their membership. By explaining and by informing the participants about the main challenges trade unions are facing on the ground when representing their members-the workers’, it was concluded that every present participant as trade union activist needs to fully understand the trade union goal, to believe in the work and the purpose that the trade unions have and to really expand their knowledge in everything related to the labour and the workers’, because only that way they will be able not just to convince the non-members to became new ones, but will allow the trade union organizations to keep their existing ones, as something equally important as the new recruits. Without a doubt taking care and finding a way to keep the existing membership must be equally important as finding new one and as well must be put high on the agenda on every trade union organization and branch trade union as well.

The first part of the workshop was able to contribrute to the trade union education of every participant by showing them the way of getting better capacities to share and send the trade union message of support and solidarity between workers’ which will without a doubt enable growth in membership.

• The second part was dedicated to the Women Section of SSM and the Youth Section of SSM where the presidents of both sections through presentations presented their opinions on how the Women Section and the Youth Section, being as the most active ones, can contribute to the trade union renewal of the Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia.

What should the Women's Section of SSM and the Youth Section of SSM do so that through their activities they can achieve an increase in the membership of SSM’s trade union organizations from the public sector and the private sector, which will later lead to an increase in the general membership of SSM, was the main focus in the second part of this workshop.

Discussion of the existing recruiting strategies, presentation of possible new strategies dedicated to union renewal followed, where the present participants and the trainers or the presidents of both sections debated on one of the most interesting questions regarding the trade union renewal, which is whether to use the personal approach as main strategy versus the usage of the digital tools. Of course the personal approach was mainly used in the past, but over the years it has become very clear that sending the trade union message on the ground and especially to the young workers’ and the new working force as the potential future trade union force has been very challenging. That’s why SSM decided to involve the digital tools as well and created SSM’s mobile application known as SSM - My Labor Rights. SSM - My Labor Rights, was and is only one part of a successful trade union renewal strategy and served as something that in the past few years has significantly brought SSM closer to the citizens and was used as a basis to increase the membership and thereby further strengthen SSM’s position and role in society. Acting digitally allowed and brought growth in membership especially among the young workers’, but the present participants agreed that the work on the ground, acting directly face to face between the workers’ during their working process and using our trade union organizations and offices on local level and employers’ level and by using the Women Section and Youth Section must be the other part and must represent continuation of the main trade union renewal strategy mentioned above.

On proposal of the present participants, the presidents of SSM’s Women Section and SSM’s Youth Section during the workshop agreed that at least one activity dedicated to the trade union renewal must be incorporated in the sections annual working program and carried out successfully. Using campaigns not only digitally but on the streets and working places can bring every worker closer to the sections and with that closer to SSM which will only allow getting growing union membership and with that ensuring that SSM is a stronger and more open organization as a final result. At the last session of this successful workshop the members of the Women Section and the Youth Section of SSM unanimously adopted their annual plan for activities for the second half of 2025 and for 2026, where is visible that trade union renewal activities prevail and are planned to be carried out as main goal.