In the Spotlight – Collective Bargaining 

On November 27, the Labor Initiatives and Solidarity Center team conducted a workshop on collective bargaining for 25 local union leaders of the Public Servants Union of Ukraine from the Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Sumy regions.

Participants from the Sumy region demonstrated the resilience and perseverance of the Ukrainians during the war. This region borders Russia and is one of the most war-affected areas in Ukraine, suffering daily from lengthy missile and drone alarms and strikes hitting residential buildings and social infrastructure. Despite the constant threat, thousands of people continue to work and live in the Sumy region and do their union work. Sumy trade unions work to protect the labor rights of their members, and collective bargaining systems are utilized daily by public servants workers in the region.

Lawyers Inna Kudinska and George Sandul emphasized successful negotiation practices and analyzed the current law on collective agreements against a new one, No.2937, adopted in 2023, which will enter into force six months after the cancellation of martial law. Responding to the local union requests, Inna and George also touched on the enforcement and suspension of collective bargaining agreements during the war.

Despite the worker and union rights restrictions during the war, collective bargaining is still the most efficient instrument for protecting workers` well-being. The best practices presented during such workshops for public servants aimed to help sustain the bargaining processes in the locals despite the wartime legal conditions limitations.