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Labour and Trade Unions
Even in the 21st century, the workplace remains one of the most central arenas for social and economic struggles. In this feature, we examine workers’ struggles for wages, jobs and rights, and the development of the trade union movement in Europe and internationally.
Recent Articles
This was the focus of a delegation trip by the Decent Work Balkans network to Brussels from 4-8 May 2026. With the support of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS), Vladimir Simovic and Bojana Tamindzija from the Center for Politics of Emancipation in Belgrade, as well as Drenusha Canolli and Visar Ymeri from the... Read More "Labor rights in the Balkans and the European Union"
The European steel industry is once again in crisis. A sector that currently supports around 300,000 direct and between 2.3 and 2.5 million indirect jobs has been increasingly seeing steel companies announce closures, mass layoffs and capacity cuts. These developments accelerate an... Read More "Reclaiming Steel: A Public Path for Europe’s Green Industrial Strategy"
We recently hosted an exchange with Norma Goicochea Estenoz, former Cuban ambassador to Belgium and representative of Cuba to the United Nations World Federation. The meeting brought together a group of trade union leaders in Brussels to discuss the current political and economic... Read More "Resistance and Solidarity: Trade Union Exchange on the Situation in Cuba"
IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
Labour solidarity is at the heart of the Blocchiamo Tutto movement Although it had been simmering for months, few foresaw the magnitude of what unfolded between 22 September and 4 October 2025, when Italy — long perceived as apathetic, politically demobilized, and fragmented — suddenly came to a standstill. Under the cry “Blocchiamo... Read More "The Days Italy Stood Still"
“MEP Per Clausen” by The Left, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Per Clausen, Member of the European Parliament for Danish left-wing party Enhedslisten looks at the programme of Denmark’s EU-Presidency, which begins on July 1. What are the prospects, priorities and problems of the upcoming Presidency, and what does it mean for progressive policies in Europe and the... Read More "The Danish EU Presidency: disappointing and unambitious"
Sophia Thoenes
As the new government targets pensions and workers’ rights, Belgian unions are showing Europe how to fight back Formed after months of political deadlock, Belgium’s new government led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever presents itself as a force of stability in an era of economic and social uncertainty. The so-called “Arizona coalition”,... Read More "Bend It Like Belgium?"
The international conference on industrial policies and workers’ rights in the twin ecological and digital transition, held on 10 January in Milan, provided a crucial space for political and strategic discussion among trade unions and workers representatives. Organised by... Read More "Industrial Policy and Workers’ Rights in the Twin Transition: A Call to Action"
Conor Healy / Picture It Photogr
****Version française ci-dessous**** Read her books and take her trainings, but not to deify her — nothing could be further from her mission. Take them so that you can put into practice the same methods that Jane McAlevey spent a lifetime practicing, modelling, and instilling in others. And then, as she would so often say at the end of a session: Go... Read More "Remembering Jane McAlevey (1964–2024)"