On April 8, 2026, Labor Initiatives and the Trade Union Lifeline (TUL) initiative held another full-day, cross-sectoral, cross-union educational event in the frontline city of Mykolaiv, as part of a series of events in war-affected regions of Ukraine aimed at reaching and supporting as many union members as possible.
This event is a continuation of Trade Union Lifeline’s long-standing endeavor, launched at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, to educate local union members in frontline cities on best union practices, including international experience in grassroots development, organizing approaches, workplace mutual support, and overall capacity-building for resilience.
Around 50 members of different unions in the Mykolaiv region took part, including the Trade Union of Railway and Transport Construction Workers, the State Employees Union, the Agroindustrial Union, and the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers.
Tristan Masat gave opening remarks on behalf of the LI and TUL team. TUL founding members and union activists Ivanna Khrapko, Pavlo Babich, Kateryna Izmailova, and Vladyslav Riznyk held a session on union membership motivation, with active participation from the attendees, aimed at strengthening the resilience capacity of union organizations in the region and building cross-sectoral grassroots connections.
Additionally, a dedicated first-aid training session, which is especially crucial in a frontline city constantly under bombardment. The necessity of such intervention was dictated by the growing desire of union members to provide first aid in the event of workplace injuries caused by an enemy attack—and also so that the community of workers see unions as engaged in these vital safety issues.
