How can trade unions innovate, renew their strategies, and stay strong in a rapidly changing world of work? These questions shaped the joint ETUI–CRIMT event held on December 4, 2025 in Brussels, where two new books on union innovation and renewal were officially launched.

The event, organised by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT), brought together leading scholars and trade unionists from across Europe and North America to discuss the latest research insights and practical experiences.

CELSI researcher Monika Martišková, one of the contributors to the book When Trade Unions Learn to Innovate, spoke at the launch and reflected on her chapter on Czechia co-authored with Adam Šumichrast.

Her contribution highlighted how unions in Central and Eastern Europe experiment with new approaches in response to declining membership, shifting labour markets, and the complex realities of organising workers in low-paid service sectors.

Alongside the companion volume Experimenting for Union Renewal: Challenges, Illustrations and Lessons, the two books presented at the event examine concrete examples of experimentation and transformation inside trade unions.

Together, they show how innovation emerges from grassroots activism, international collaboration, and organisational learning.

🔗 Video recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeRlmuvJutk&t=15800s

We thank ETUI and CRIMT for creating a space for a rich exchange on the future of trade unionism and for bringing together researchers committed to strengthening workers’ voice across continents.

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