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 right to lifelong learning is like the right to a paid lunch break. It is a shared responsibility and must be part of the new world of work.” Speaking at the last in a series of webinars centred on cutting-edge issues in collective bargaining which took place in the run up to the 5th UNI Europa Conference*, Inese Podgaiska (ANE) highlighted how ensuring professionals have both the right and the time is crucial to gaining new skills. In their recent joint policy paper, entitled Boosting […]
The economic decline and lockdowns due to Covid-19 throughout the European Union have not only seen a shift to remote work and online activities but also an increase in the number of hostile takeovers, mergers and acquisitions. Thus, services sectors have been under-going dramatic changes at both the workplace and sectoral level. To advance unions’ […]
The webinar provided an opportunity to showcase UNI Europa’s work on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Birte Dedden, UNI Europa Director for ICTS, gave an overview of the different activities on AI and the role of social partners. Following the publication and promotion of the UNI Europa position paper on AI in 2019, we have organized a […]
UNI Europa affiliates gathered for a webinar to exchange experience on the opportunities and barriers to organising and collective bargaining for self-employed workers. Two testimonies from ver.di, Germany and FNV-Media Cultuur, Netherlands kicked off the discussions among the over 100 participants and showcased the unions’ efforts in the broadcasting sector. In Germany, ver.di represents more than 30,000 […]
UNI Europa has joined over 40 organisations in launching the European Citizens’ Initiative to Reclaim Your Face. The collection of people’s biometric data has dramatically increased over recent years. The implementation of facial recognition in workplaces and intrusive surveillance software on workers’ computers have too often been rolled out in opaque ways and for untransparent […]
“In my 15 years’ experience of negotiating, this one was the easiest…because I had the members behind me” (Vice President of HK Privat Anja C. Jensen) What happens when the demands of essential workers are shut down in the middle of a public health crisis? Danish dental workers and their union HK Privat were faced […]
With the European Union’s AI proposal set to launch this quarter, Europe has the opportunity to demonstrate to the world that true innovation can arise only when we can be confident that everyone will be protected from the most harmful, egregious violations of our fundamental rights. Europe’s industries – from AI developers to car manufacturing […]
“2021 is a time to give meaning to all of this.” Oliver Roethig looks ahead to a year of building services workers’ power. With the 5th UNI Europa Conference on the horizon, unions are poised to set a common agenda and push forward on three fronts: organising, policy advocacy and multinational coordination. […]
