There have been thousands of research papers and books from both scholars and practitioners on the questions of union decline, union organising, and efforts to revitalise the union movement, yet we are still struggling to adopt an adequate response to the decline in union membership and power. What... Find out more

Austria - Collective agreement for cleaning staff For workers in the cleaning sector a new collective agreement has been concluded. Wages of those employed in monument, facade and building cleaning will be on average 3.5% higher from 2022. For employees in hospital cleaning, the increase in the... Find out more

Germany - New collective agreement for railway sector Rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the GDL train drivers’ union have announced the signing of a new collective agreement, marking the end of a dispute that gave rise to repeated strike action. The 32-month agreement provides for a 3.3% pay rise... Find out more

Austria - Social partners agree on notice periods for staffing services The social partners have jointly brought about an industry-specific solution for staffing services and their temporary workers. This means that the labour market and the economy can continue to be offered a flexible solution... Find out more

Germany - Landmark agreement on teleworkers in rubber industry Trade union IG BCE signed a pioneer agreement that can inspire sister unions across Europe. In the rubber industry, trade unionists from now on have a legal right to engage with teleworkers. This new agreement is a novelty in the field... Find out more

Austria - Collective agreement for museum employees After years of unsuccessful demands, a joint collective agreement was reached for the 2,600 federal museum employees. The long-standing initiative by the works councils and the public service union (GÖD), placing pressure on the state, finally bore... Find out more

Belgium - National day of action ACV-CSC, the largest trade union, has planned demonstrations and strikes in protest against the wage increase being offered in the private sector, which workers are calling ‘unacceptable’. Employers want to grant a maximum increase of 0.4% for the private sector for... Find out more

European Union - European minimum wage report The European minimum wage report published by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) in Düsseldorf, Germany, illustrates that at the beginning of 2021, minimum wage increases in Europe were much less pronounced than in previous years due to... Find out more

Belgium - Inter-professional collective agreement on telework A new nationwide collective bargaining agreement was concluded setting forth specific rules covering teleworking during the current COVID-19 crisis. It will be in effect until the end of 2021. It applies to all companies which did not, by... Find out more

Trade union membership prospects has declined in 24 out of 32 European countries in 2010–2017, compared to the first decade of the twenty-first century. Yet, even though union membership is declining in most countries, workers are still joining trade unions every day for the first time. Also, since... Find out more