Trade unions leading ways to a fairer recovery
A delegation of 30 EFJ members has joined over 80 trade union delegates from Europe to conclude the final conference of a 2.5 years project “Trade Union for A Fair Recovery project” held in Brussels, co-organised by the European Trade Union Confederation and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).
Maja Sever, EFJ President together with Tea Jarc, ETUC Confederal Secretary, and Joost Korte, Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission kicked off the conference by congratulating the delegates leading the ways to support journalists and millions workers towards a fairer recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jarc, ETUC Confederal Secretary said, “Thanks to this projecct, we provided almost 3 million euros to support workers and trade unions across Europe who were impacted by the pandemic. Today, we witness some of these successful outcomes.”
Delegates shared common challenges facing trade unions during and after the pandemic. But many have shared their success stories in coping with the crisis and helping workers to defend their rights and working conditions.
Sever stressed the important role trade unions have played during the pandemic. “One day we were all told to stay at home by the government. But the next scene I saw was journalists reporting on the streets and in the hospitals, without protective equipment.
The unions had to find masks, gloves and protective equipment to protect journalists while the employers immediately thought of cutting costs and staff.” said Sever.
“Thanks to this project, unions are able to continue to support journalists and strengthen the solidarity among workers and trade unions across Europe.”
Collective bargaining and social dialogues carried out by trade unions have been key during the pandemic to defend the rights and working conditions of workers.
Many unions also made used of digital tools during pandemic to reach out to workers. Many unions have developed digital strategies using online database, digital campaigns and podcasts to mobilise and organise their workers.
The Trade Unions for A Fair Recovery project is a joint initiative launched by the EFJ and ETUC and co-funded by the European Commission (DG EMPL) to “cascade” capacity-building funds to national trade unions. These funds have helped trade unions in their efforts to support their activities to shape national recovery plans that deliver secure jobs with decent pay and conditions.
