Health, Energy, Ukraine

The health workers’ union is negotiating with the Ministry of Health, the Ukrainian Federation of Health Employers and the Joint Representative Body of All-Ukrainian Representative Trade Unions on a new five-year agreement to cover the period up to 2026. A draft has been prepared covering some of the main issues including sustainable development of the sector, working conditions and work-life balance; job protection; health care; social protection, cultural needs and guaranteeing the activities of trade unions. The main challenge will be to resolve issues around pay and the union is looking to

Earlier this month the Atomprofilska nuclear energy union began negotations with the Energoatom company. However, the industry is facing major challenges and the union is particularly concerned about the financial state of the company and the lack of support from the government. The union argues that the government has left the company effectively on the verge of bankruptcy and this is having an impact on maintaining proper health and safety. The union is looking to appeal directly to the President to take action, will organise protests in key cities, is calling for the resignation of the

The HWUU health workers' union met with the Ministry of Health to express its serious concerns about the situation facing health staff. It had five main demands for action in relation to provision of personal protective equipment (PPE); compulsory testing of medical professionals for COVID; remuneration (in case of emergency, overtime, etc.); insurance (to equate the work of workers in emergency conditions to the participants of hostilities); and the arrangements for commuting to work. The union has set up a hotline to support its members who face problems at work in relation to COVID-19.

The Atomprofspilka nuclear energy union organised a major demonstration outside the office of the Cabinet of Ministers on 4 December in protest at the failure of the government to address union demands for information about the strategy for the industry. The union is concerned about recent developments including the cancellation of projects that are creating doubts about jobs and the future development of the sector. Protests have also taken place in other key cities and camps set up where nuclear workers stay in tents when not at work to demonstrate their determination to get a reaction to

At its meeting on 21 March, the central committee of the Nuclear Energy and Industry Workers’ Union (NEIWUU) protested about restructuring being carried out in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where the authority responsible for the zone was taking decisions without consulting the union. The NEIWUU expressed concern about violations of social obligations that are stipulated by the sectoral agreement. The union also gave examples of staff relocations where it had to remind the authority that it had to consult with the union as required by the Labour Code. This was the sixth reform applied to

On 17 October, around 20000 trade union members from both private and public sectors marched through Kyiv city centre and blocked the government quarter. The main demands of the demonstration were for investment in industry for decent jobs, raise the minimum wage to help stop emigration, not to increase utilities prices, for the state budget to allocate the equivalent of 7% of GDP to education and 5% to healthcare, to urgently pay outstanding wages to more than 100,000 workers and to stop state’s takeover of trade union property and respect trade union rights.

The FPU trade union confederation has called a demonstration outside parliament on 6 December with a number of key demands on the government. These include: setting the minimum wage at the level not lower than the real living wage (UAH 4023); setting the basic wage of a worker in the lowest pay grade at the level above the minimum wage; settling all outstanding wage arrears by the end of the year; reducing utilities prices; ensuring the right to affordable and quality health care and preventing any curtailing of existing worker and trade union rights in adopting a new Labour Code.

The Health Workersù Union of Ukraine (HWUU) organised a major protest outside the national parliament on 19 September focusing on pay, healthcare funding and against the commercialisation of the health system. The union called on the government to respond to the labour dispute registered by the union last year and to deal with urgent issues around unpaid wages and failure to properly implement the agreed pay system. The union was also calling for increased funding for the sector and other initiatives to improve health provision. EPSU sent a message of solidarity.