As part of the Trade Union Lifeline (TUL) initiative, Labor Initiatives facilitated another online session on December 18 focused on building democratic unions and international partnerships. The event is part of an ongoing series of conversations and experience exchanges between Ukrainian young activists and international trade union leaders.
Despite long hours of power outages all over the country, the event brought together about 20 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 Magnus Runsten, the international project coordinator for the Swedish public servants’ union Fackförbundet ST and a member of the Stockholm city council. Magnus discussed his journey from early involvement as a student union representative to coordinating international projects and politics. He shared insights into Sweden’s efforts to build democratic unions and offered practical advice to Ukrainian unionists on engaging members in democratic governance. Additionally, he provided perspectives on developing international cooperation and supporting democratic unions worldwide.
Magnus also highlighted the mutually beneficial exchange of experiences with Ukrainian unions and its importance for the Swedish labor movement. Additionally, as a long-standing advocate for support of Ukraine, Magnus shared his experience in public advocacy and campaign organization.
