A large EPSU delegation joined hundreds of other trade unionists from across Europe to celebrate 50 years of struggle for Europe’s workers and people. We ended the ETUC Congress with the election of a new team and the adoption of an action plan titled ‘Together for a Fair Deal for Workers in Europe’.
The EPSU affiliates of North East Europe expressed their concerns about developments in the region in the online meeting of the North East European constituency on 3 March. They received information about the situation in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine.
Co-ordinated international solidarity and a delegation of European and international trade union leaders have helped push the government towards revising its labour law reforms. The changes announced by the government at the end of last year would have seriously undermined trade union and employee rights and Ukrainian trade unions have been campaigning solidly against the proposals. The international delegation met a number of ministers and secured a commitment that the reforms would be revised to ensure that they are in line with International Labour Organisation conventions.
The Service and the State Employees’ Union of Ukraine (SEUU) has signed a new three-year agreement covering the protection of labour, social and economic rights of border guards. The agreement aims to improve working conditions, professional development, training and skills. It also covers health and safety, wages and working time. The SEUU sees this as an important agreement covering more than 7,000 workers in around 50 units.
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.
The Health Workers' Union of Ukraine has called a national demonstration on 12 September in protest at the government's failure to respond to a labour dispute raised by the union last year. The union is claiming a general rise for all healthworkers as well as resolution of an issue relating to highly skilled workers' pay. The demonstration will also highlight the need to increase health sector funding and will protest against government plans for restructuring and to cut hospital beds.
