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Last 23 and 24 April, almost 50 participants from Polish, Bulgarian and Romanian commerce social partners met to discuss how to improve social dialogue in their respective countries and at the European level in the sector.



On the first day, trade unions from Lidl, Kaufland, Real, Jysk, Auchan, Tesco, Carrefour and other companies met to assess working conditions and organising strategies to reinforce their organisations in their respective countries.



"There is an urgent need to promote organising strategies in the commerce sector to fight against the deteriorating working conditions and the increasing workload caused by the liberalisation of opening hours promoted by governments and employers " says Fabrice Warneck, a representative of UNI Europa Commerce. The Solidarity Campaign in Lidl for Poland and the FSC organising actions in Real Romania are good examples to show how to reinforce trade unions in MNCs. We believe that by sharing such good practices, we will have multiplier effects in other countries. Organising campaigns are absolutely vital to gain respect and recognition as representatives of workers from employers before collective bargaining can take place", he added.



Employers organisations largely dominated by western European multinational companies are deeply divided about taking up the opportunity to develop social dialogue with trade unions or, to the contrary, playing the social dumping card.



On the second day, Eurcommerce and UNI Europa respective members from those countries met with a view to jointly discuss challenges and problems in social dialogue and identify common action points to be developed in the future.



Trade union representatives sent a clear message to employers that they are ready to enter into discussions and they wish to have good partners with the same willingness to start a constructive dialogue.



Laila Castaldo, responsible for the Sectoral Social Dialogue in Commerce at UNI Europa said: “we can see common trends in those three countries: lack of dialogue, lack of standards for the sector; poor collective agreement coverage, lack of enforcement of labour laws” she continued “with Eurocommerce, we don’t always have the same view on how to encourage, support and reinforce social dialogue but we think that this project is a step forward in the right direction. We have called on Eurocommerce to agree joint recommendations on strengthening social dialogue and we do hope that we will be able to agree them by the end of the project. Reinforcing national social dialogue is a prerequisite for an improved participation of these countries to the European Social dialogue” she concluded



This seminar is part of an overall project carried out by UNI Europa and Eurocommerce to improve capacity building and social dialogue in Eastern, Central and Candidate European countries.



Three regional workshops and a final conference will be organised this year with the support of the ITC ILO.



For more information please contact Laila Castaldo.