A tripartite meeting involving trade unions, employers and government representatives in Croatia has agreed on cooperation to secure the future of the country’s textile industry.

The social partners in Sweden have concluded two ground-breaking national deals to promote education and training and develop new skills in the workforce, with financial support from the government.

Dear readers, Welcome to the latest edition of National UPdates. In this issue we highlight the way national trade unions are working in numerous areas to improve the lives and conditions of workers and their families. They range from defending the rights of LGBT+ people, protecting mental health and combatting the gender pay gap, to measures to improve pay, save jobs and expand flexibility for workers in the wake of the Covid pandemic. 

A new three-year agreement between trade unions CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT, FO and Legrand, the French electrical products and systems specialist which employs 5,500 people in France, adds protection for LGBT+ employees, training on workplace equality, and a new procedure for reporting sexist behaviour. Existing anti-discrimination measures will be strengthened to promote “the inclusion of all employees”.

Danish trade unions are urging the government to adopt a strategy that would give more people the right to switch professional direction throughout their careers. According to the Danish Trade Union Confederation (FH), fewer Danes now continue their education while in the labour market than before, even though the retirement age is rising. To reverse the decline in lifelong learning, the FH proposes a “right to change lanes” for anyone who has been in employment for a number of years - for example, workers between the ages of 45 and 60.

Trade unions in Ireland have agreed with the country’s Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on a new framework for remote working, allowing civil servants to apply for ‘blended’ arrangements combining home and office working.

Doctors in Bulgaria will see their monthly salary rise by some €400 thanks to a new collective agreement between health trade unions and the Ministry of Health, in force until April 2024. The deal offers substantial pay increases for both doctors and nurses, which the unions and government hope will attract new workers to the sector and encourage them to remain in the country.

A new collective agreement between the Greek Federation of Bank Employee Unions (OTOE) and the country’s four largest banks, which employ more than 70% of the sectoral workforce, has secured significant pay increases and other benefits. It provides for a global wage increase of 5.6% paid in three stages: 2% in 2022, 1% in 2023 and 2.5% in 2024. The employers pledged to try to maintain jobs and avoid redundancies.

Social Partners in Latvia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to promote social progress and help the country deal with the impacts of the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The Latvian Free Trade Union Confederation (LBAS), together with representatives from business, commerce and industry, the scientific community and local government, pledged to work to make Latvia an economically developed, competitive and secure country, with a modern education system, accessible health care for everyone and a future for every Latvian.

Italy’s CGIL trade union confederation, with the support of the Di Vittorio research foundation, has analysed the content of some 2,168 collective bargaining agreements signed between 2019 and 2021 by social partners at different levels, including company, local and national.

Workers who care for young people in the Netherlands will get a sizeable wage increase thanks to a new collective agreement negotiated by the CNV, FNV and FBZ trade unions. The deal covers 30,000 people employed in youth care and includes a pay rise of 8% spread over three years and a one-off payment of €250. A 2% increase will be backdated to January 2021 and 3% applied this year with a further 3% in 2023. The agreement, already accepted by 97% of FNV members in the sector, runs from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023.

Yasmin Fahimi has been elected as the first-ever female president of the powerful German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). She won 93.23% of votes at the annual congress of the organisation that brings together the country’s eight main sectoral unions, with 5.7 million members. She succeeds Rainer Hoffmann, who had held the post since 2014, and becomes the first-ever woman president in the DGB’s 73-year history.

Several generations of trade union activists, members and their families came together for the NSZZ Solidarność ‘Solidarity Picnic’ in May, at the Borek Leisure Centre in Bochnia, near Krakow. About 1,200 participants of every age enjoyed artistic performances, cabarets and sports competitions. A group of animators was on hand to entertain the children, who also took advantage of a huge playground, inflatable boats, zip lines by the lake and horse rides.

The social partners in Spain have worked with the government to create a free online tool to enable employers to identify whether female employees are being paid less than men. According to the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, the assessment tool sets out a simple, educational, transparent and standardised process that helps companies to comply with their legal obligations, regardless of their size. The results make it possible to identify discriminatory pay practices between women and men and can serve as a basis for collective bargaining.

Since the 18th century, trade unions have existed to defend workers from unemployment, injury and illness. Through campaigning and collective bargaining, unions have played a key role in achieving social progress.

Dear readers, Following Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, trade unions across Europe have called for peace and declared their solidarity with the Ukrainian workers and their families whose lives and livelihoods are being destroyed by war. In this edition of National UPdates we look also at how trade unions are defending workers in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, amid rising living costs. 

Alongside Ukrainian trade unions already aiding victims of Putin’s war, unions across Europe have been acting in solidarity. In Poland, where thousands of Ukrainian refugees are already seeking shelter, the social partners joined together to oppose the “scandalous act of Russian aggression”, calling for “a firm and courageous response from the international community”.

Germany’s new government is to raise the country's minimum wage to €12 per hour in October, following a strong campaign for a higher wage floor by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). The increase of nearly 15% will benefit nearly 6.2 million low-paid workers – two thirds of them women – making up 10% of the country’s workforce and giving Germany the second-highest minimum wage in Europe after Luxembourg.

In Holland, the FNV union has won higher wage rises than last year in the 32 collective agreements it has negotiated since December. “Wherever we are strong and where our members are prepared to campaign for a good collective labour agreement, we see better results,” said FNV vice-chair Zakaria Boufangacha. “In addition to the metal industry and professional freight transport, this also applies to academic hospitals, municipalities and cleaning services.”

A recent survey in Belgium found that as Covid restrictions are lifted, four out of five employees would like to go on working from home at least two days a week. But teleworking can lead to added pressure and stress.

Ireland’s largest public service trade union Forsa has welcomed the government’s €1,000 tax-free award for workers who dealt with the Covid pandemic, in recognition of their hard work and sacrifices. Ireland is also creating an additional annual public holiday and reducing working time for public service workers to pre-austerity levels. From 1 July 2022, full-time public servants will return to the 35-hour week that applied before 2013, when austerity measures were introduced in response to the 2008-09 economic and financial crisis.

As Covid working restrictions in Italy begin to ease at the end of March, three unions, Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl and Uiltrasporti, have reached a framework agreement with DHL Express Italy to promote ‘smart working’, starting with a trial period until the end of the year.

A cooperation agreement reached last June by Croatian, North Macedonian and Montenegrin trade unions is bringing concrete benefits for workers.

At national level, trade unions continue to make progress in strengthening the rights of workers on platform companies. In Austria, the Vida union has concluded a collective agreement – backdated to January – offering a 3.5% pay rise for bicycle deliverers, following negotiations with the freight transport trade association. The social partners also agreed  to establish a working group to continuously adapt the collective agreement in light of developments in the industry.

Denmark’s social partners have together proposed measures to extend workers’ rights to maternity and paternity leave, which have been agreed by the government. The new provision goes further than the EU’s 2019 Leave Directive – due to be implemented by this summer - extending Denmark’s existing maximum 32 weeks of paid leave shared between the parents. From August, each parent will have the right to a total of 24 weeks.