Project Period: February 2026 – May 2028
Funding: EU Commission, Social Prerogative and Specific Competencies Lines (SOCPL) Countries: Cyprus, Greece, Ireland
Partners: Cyprus Workers’s Confederation (SEK), SIPTU, KANEP-GSEE
Project Overview
The TRUST project is a strategic initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of trade unions for strategic foresight. As the labour market undergoes rapid transformation, this project empowers unions to anticipate these changes and engage more proactively in social dialogue and policy shaping.
The core goal is to institutionalise foresight practices, such as horizon scanning and scenario-building, directly inside the partner unions. By building a cross-border community of practice (CoP) in Cyprus, Greece, and Ireland, the project ensures these new capabilities are sustainable and shared. This work aligns directly with key EU priorities, including the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Our Objectives
The project is built around four key objectives:
- To institutionalise foresight mechanisms within national and EU-linked trade unions.
- To upskill union staff in practical foresight methods.
- To foster cross-border peer learning and collaboration.
- To integrate foresight into union governance and policy cycles for long-term sustainability.
IMKKA’s Role & Contribution
As a key partner in this project, IMKKA (with a 20.23% share) is leading and contributing to several critical work areas:
- Evidence and Research: We are developing the foresight evidence base through a detailed comparative analysis of trade-union practices, institutional mapping, and expert consultations.
- Model Design: We are creating a practicable typology of institutional models for foresight, with guidance on how unions of different sizes can adapt and implement them.
- Capacity Building: Our team is designing and delivering specialized capacity-building modules on horizon scanning, scenario building, and AI-informed labour analysis.
- Advisory Services: We provide direct advisory support to unions on how to best integrate these new foresight functions into their existing governance, workflows, and role designs.
- Policy Translation: We are focused on translating the outputs of foresight (like scenarios) into strategic tools for social dialogue, collective bargaining, and policy contributions at the EU level.
- Community Curation: IMKKA is responsible for establishing and curating the cross-border community of practice to enable peer learning and share tools.
- Quality Assurance & Dissemination: We contribute to the project’s overall monitoring, evaluation, and quality assurance (M&E) and are involved in producing and disseminating all reports, briefs, and guidance.
