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Article

16 Apr 2020

Author:
Oliver Reothig, Social Europe

Commentary: Resilience in COVID-19 crisis in Europe strongest where workers have voice through collective bargaining

"Resilience in the corona crisis—strongest where workers enjoy collective power", 14 April 2020

Where workers have a voice through collective bargaining and social dialogue, we are increasingly seeing, emergency measures are more swiftly implemented...

UNI Europa recently examined two examples of supermarket unions working together with retail businesses...

In Hungary, workers at the Spar food chain negotiated equipment improvements as well as job security and improved access to self-isolation...

In Austria, workers successfully negotiated similarly improved conditions and even better equipment and infrastructural measures. Yet ... [r]ather than these applying only to a single chain, the Austrian unions secured application to all supermarkets in the country...

The key difference is whether workers have the right to bargain collectively over decisions which affect them, their families and their communities. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán’s government has made it harder for workers to bargain collectively sector-wide... In contrast, 98 per cent of workers are covered in nieghbouring Austria, allowing for these emergency workplace measures to be brought in for all...

Denmark was first off the mark, unveiling a series of measures negotiated among the unions, employers and government... Since then, unions have been instrumental in obtaining similar measures in 18 European countries...

In times of crisis, we need decision-making that unwaveringly puts human lives first. Evidence shows that this only truly happens when workers have a real say. We already knew that building inclusive economies through collective bargaining and social dialogue resulted in shared prosperity, but now we are seeing that it builds resilience to shocks too...