6th UNI Europa Conference Day 2: workers demand “Real Say, More Pay” across Europe

The morning sessions kicked off with powerful testimony from Belgian trade unionist Lieveke Norga (ACV-PULS), who linked the push for shorter working hours to the long legacy of workers’ struggle. “We continue the historical struggle of free time for working people,” she said, announcing an 8-minute work stoppage on 8 May across Belgium to press for better work-life balance.

In Ireland, CWU’s Ian McArdle highlighted how workers successfully pressured politicians to back collective bargaining in the last election. “Respect at work shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be a right,” he said. His union, together with three other Irish unions (Mandate, SIPTU and FSU), had received the first-ever “Forward Through Collective Bargaining” Award.

From Slovakia to Finland, unions described how they are rebuilding power amid hostile conditions. “We need to find new areas of contract. We need to update our communications,” said Antti Hakala of Finland’s PRO union. In Poland, Wieslawa Mazarska of Solidarnosc described mass protests and strikes at the Polish Post in response to the collapse of a 20-year-old collective agreement.

One central theme of the day – public procurement reform – saw trade unionists demand that EU institutions link public contracts to collective agreements. Esther Lynch, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), delivered a rousing address calling out widespread union-busting.

“No euro of public money should go to companies that bust unions,” Lynch said, citing Tesla as an example of the “green transition” being used to justify anti-union behaviour.

UNI Europa’s campaign “No Public Contract Without Collective Agreement” was repeatedly praised as a blueprint for change. Frank Werneke, President of Germany’s ver.di union, said: “Let’s make this campaign our priority in the coming years,” he told delegates. His union ver.di also won the second “Forward Through Collective Bargaining” Award for its successful campaign at Deutsche Post, where lower-paid workers received wage increases of more than 16 per cent, and the union won over 20,000 new members.

From Zeynep Bicici (IG-BAU, Germany) calling for an end to the race for the lowest price, to Angeles Romero (CCOO, Spain) advocating for social criteria in procurement laws, delegates stressed that quality jobs must come before the lowest bid. In a debate with Members of European Parliament, Gaby Bischoff (S&D), Hanne Gedin (The Left) and Sara Matthieu (Greens) agreed with the need for reform — and for working together to achieve it.

The conference also spotlighted the criminalisation of union action and wage theft. Norwegian unionist Christopher Beckham called for laws to punish employers who withhold pay. “Wage theft is a crime and offenders will be held accountable,” he said.

In the afternoon, a panel on worker well-being tackled the future of union strategy in the digital and post-pandemic workplace. Speakers addressed AI, remote work, and mental health — calling for renewed focus on “cutting-edge collective bargaining” to keep pace with change.

Wrapping up the day, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Minister for the Economy in Northern Ireland, spoke about the Good Jobs Bill and the importance of a strong labour movement: “A key measure of an economy’s success is the extent to which it provides workers and their families with a decent income [… ]. This logic is reflected in the theme of this year’s conference: Real Say, More Pay.” The fireside chat with Owen Reidy (ICTU) and Dave Ward (CWU) reaffirmed the growing support among young workers for trade unions — and the necessity of organising them.

The message of the second day of the 6th UNI Europa Conference was clear: Europe needs bold, enforceable rules to protect workers’ rights — and unions are ready to lead that fight.