Around 600 delegates attended FENEALUIL’s congress in Castellaneta Marina, near Brindisi in Southern Italy, from 13–15 May 2026, which carried the theme "Building Together." Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) Regional Representative for Europe Geneviève Kalina participated in the event.

“We are going through a very difficult period, with war in Europe and the Mediterranean producing instability and new inequalities,” said Mauro Franzolini, who was elected general secretary in October 2025.

He stressed the need for a Europe capable of defending peace and rapidly advancing industrial policies that support investments combining sustainability, employment for all, and development, without sacrificing workers’ rights.

In her speech, Kalina stated: “Your union is the union of people. Your organisation carries out initiatives for people facing difficult working and living conditions. We must salute your determination to improve the lives of and remain close to unemployed youth, women, migrants, the elderly, and others living in precarious conditions.”

Among the priorities discussed were decent housing for all, occupational health and safety, the successful Zero Accidents at Workplaces campaign, youth and migrant issues, collective bargaining, bilateralism, and the ongoing transformation process.

Franzolini has been reforming the union to make it stronger, more modern, more coherent, and closer to workers. “Our union is autonomous and reformist,” he said. His reforms have helped reaffirm the central value of territorial structures, freeing economic and human resources to be reinvested in day-to-day presence, protection, negotiation, and engagement at construction sites, always staying close to workers. Simplifying and strengthening the union structure has also enabled the organisation to grow steadily over the past ten years in terms of membership and representativeness.

The congress had emotional moments, including a video showing the construction of a school in Togo and the testimony of a young woman construction worker who spoke about the harassment and macho culture she experienced at worksites.