Unions representing 7 million service sector workers from across Europe came together for the first virtual edition of the UNI Europa Regional Conference. Over 900 delegates and trade union guests participated in the online event, which was hosted by UNI-affiliated unions from the three trade union families of Belgium.
Delegates voted on motions which set the organisation’s political priorities for the next four years and named UNI Europa’s leadership.
Forward Through Collective Bargaining
At the core is the joint commitment to move forward through collective bargaining. The Regional Secretary outlined three strategic axes in this regard:
- Bottom up, organising: building a strong membership base that engages in trade union activities and collective bargaining.
- Top down, influencing EU policies in particular to provide an enabling framework for collective bargaining. First of all, we will not rest until public contracts go only to companies with collective agreements.
- Engaging with multinational companies to create a negotiating environment for our affiliates. Our first priority in this respect is our campaign to bring Amazon into line with the European Social Model in the workplace and beyond.
New leadership
The conference also confirmed UNI Europa’s leadership:
Peter Hellberg of Unionen, Sweden, is President of UNI Europa.
Pilar Rato of CCOO Servicios, Spain, is 1st Vice President.
Barbara Teiber of GPA, Austria, is Vice-President.
Louisa Bull of Unite the union, United Kingdom, is Vice-President.
Mario Petitto of SLP-CISL, Italy, is Vice-President.
William Maunier of SNRT-CGT, France, is Vice-President.
Oliver Roethig is Regional Secretary.
