The ILO ACTRAV Trade Union
Future Readiness Self-Assessment
Facing Change, Shaping the Future
The world of work is undergoing profound transformations driven by technological acceleration, climate change, geopolitical instability, demographic shifts, and economic uncertainty. Automation and AI, inequalities, aging in some societies, and high levels of youth entering the labour market in others are driving disruption in labour markets and broader societies. Environmental crises, including extreme weather events and resource shortages, are reshaping industries, while geopolitical conflicts and economic fragmentation impact global trade and investment. Democratic challenges such as violations of trade union rights, polarization fuelled by misinformation, are putting pressure on trade unions worldwide.
The Pillars of Trade Union Future Readiness
This self-assessment tool is designed to help you - trade unionists worldwide - evaluate the organization’s readiness in responding to these major challenges, ensuring they can effectively represent a diverse workforce, advocate for policy change and navigate an increasingly volatile landscape. The tool focuses on three critical trade union abilities - governance, institutional and strategic abilities - that are essential for trade unions to effectively support their members and influence policy in the context of multiple transitions.
Governance abilities
looks at the own governance structure of the union, assessing the union's ability to organize a wide range of workers, including traditionally underrepresented groups and those in emerging sectors, while offering innovative services and ensuring inclusive, transparent and democratic governance.
Institutional abilities
looks at the institutional context in which unions operate, understood as the union's ability to influence and shape policies through inclusive social dialogue, representing the voice of all workers, to collaborate and campaign with other unions and broader stakeholders.
Strategic abilities
is understood as the ability to grasp, navigate and proactively respond to uncertainty and change while being strategic about the use of the union's resources.