Trade Union Summit for Ukraine

On April 22-23, 2024, the European trade movement, under the auspices of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), held a two-day summit in Lublin, Poland, encompassing over 100 participants, including more than 50 union representatives from the national union centers – Federation of Trade Unions (FPU) and Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU). 

This event became a platform for amplifying the needs of Ukrainian workers and the trade union movement and discussing the unions` vision of Ukraine`s reconstruction process. Numerous networking and bilateral meetings among European trade union federations and sectoral Ukrainian unions were conducted on the forum’s sidelines, resulting in strategic partnership and joint cooperation projects. 

The summit discussions were focused on (1) the trade unions’ role in restoring Ukraine through social dialogue and collective bargaining, (2) social conditionalities in the reconstruction process, (3) the role of trade unions in the EU accession process, and (4) rebuilding trade union power.

Ukrainian union leaders also highlighted (a) the security and protection of key infrastructure and workers employed there; (b) the necessity of education and sharing experience on EU acquis implementation; (c) wartime suspension of collective bargaining agreements as an obstacle to social dialogue at the company level; (d) jeopardizing social dialogue in Ukraine and attempts to substitute it with civic (public) dialogue, in particular in the process of drafting a new law “On Social Dialogue in Ukraine”; (e) provision of equal treatment, working conditions, and payment to Ukrainian and EU workers; (f) finding balance between EU directives and guarantees provided by the national legislation, etc. 

The final Resolution of the Summit can be read here.