Women`s Empowerment for Ukrainian Unionists

As part of the Trade Union Lifeline (TUL) initiative, Labor Initiatives hosted a session (in a hybrid online/offline format) on October 24 focused on women’s leadership in the union movement. The event is part of an ongoing series of conversations between Ukrainian young activists and international trade union leaders.

Despite the hours of widespread power outages in Kyiv, the event brought together about 30 young union activists who actively participate in TUL and members of the Youth Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine.

The guest speaker was Liv Tørres, the International Secretary of LO Norway, the Norwegian Confederation of Labour. Nataliya Yeremeyeva, LO advisor for Ukraine, also joined the meeting.

During her motivational speech, Liv Tørres shared her personal professional journey in the union movement, beginning with her participation in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Liv emphasized the factors that contributed to her leadership — a combination of access to education and a supportive state system, which improved the ability of women to operate without discrimination.

Liv also highlighted the challenges she encountered and encouraged youth unionists by stressing that you can achieve anything you want if you have strong organizational muscles, a particular strategy, and a plan.