League for Union Leaders: Education for Powerful

On November 26-29, Labor Initiatives hosted a training in Vinnytsia for 26 union leaders of Atomprofspilka (Nuclear Energy and Industry Workers’ Union of Ukraine), members of the elected union body of the largest electricity producer in Ukraine. 

The three-day agenda covered legal sessions on Ukraine’s collective bargaining legislation and its alignment with ILO standards, and the EU acquis, a practical session on bargaining tactics in the nuclear energy sector, and conflict-resolution tools to enhance team effectiveness in negotiations. 

An emphasis was placed on sharing the Norwegian experience with collective bargaining and the overall Norwegian labor relations model. Asle Reime, the former national secretary of Forbundet Styrke—Norway’s largest union in the oil and gas sector—joined online and discussed the details of sectoral wage negotiations, the nuances of the Main Agreement, and the tripartite principles applied within the industry. Asle’s presentation generated considerable interest and questions from the audience, highlighting a strong interest among Ukrainian unionists to exchange experiences and best practices. 

LI legal experts George Sandul and Inna Kudinska conducted a hybrid, offline/online legal session on collective bargaining agreements in the new realities: wartime and ongoing labor law amendments, focusing on the effective use of ILO and EU frameworks, basic labor rights norms and practices, during bargaining processes at the local and sectoral levels.