Union leaders unite for historic EU summit

Over 600 union leaders from 50 countries to unite in Belfast for historic European summit

Largest European labour gathering ever in Northern Ireland to set course for UNI Europa, a seven million worker federation of service sector unions.

Over 600 trade union leaders from 50 European countries will gather in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for UNI Europa’s 6th Conference from 25-27 March 2025 to shape a shared strategy for the European trade union movement in the service sector. The conference, hosted at ICC Belfast, will be the biggest European union event in Northern Ireland’s history. The announcement came just ahead of the fifth anniversary of Brexit on 01 February, demonstrating the unity of the trade union movement across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the European mainland.

Oliver Roethig, Regional Secretary of UNI Europa, said: “At a time of skyrocketing corporate profits, deepening inequality and an extreme right threatening democratic values, the European trade union movement must rally together to build worker power. United, we will move forward through collective bargaining, helping workers win a real say and more pay."

There is no better place to move this mission forward than Belfast, with its rich trade union history.

Under the theme ‘Real Say, More Pay’, union leaders will set the strategic course for UNI Europa over the next five years and elect the federation’s leadership. The three-day programme promises to have electrifying speakers from across Europe and to explore union victories from all of UNI Europa’s sectors. The conference will also address some of the key issues facing unions today, such as strengthening collective bargaining; new workplace issues like Artificial Intelligence; the unity of trade unions across political divides; and addressing the multiple crisis of the cost-of-living, the rise of the far right and its attacks on democracy.

Gerry Murphy, Assistant General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), said: 

We are delighted to be playing our part in welcoming UNI Europa to Belfast and will share our perspectives with colleagues across the European continent on our common purpose of better wages, terms and working conditions for all workers. 

"We are especially keen to learn from trade unionists in many states how they overcome challenges in organising workers in some service industries which have been difficult for unions to operate on behalf of some of the worst paid workers in all of our societies. For these workers in particular, strong legislation which both allows and encourages trade union participation and collective bargaining are sure-fire routes to happier workplaces with well-treated staff, across all states and regions.”

UNI Europa’s mission is to build power for working people through strong unions, organising, effective collective bargaining and pro-worker legislative frameworks. The conference takes place as Northern Ireland and Great Britain move to introduce new labour legislation to strengthen collective bargaining, while the Republic of Ireland government has failed to properly implement the EU’s Minimum Wage Directive, which aims to improve workers’ rights and collective bargaining coverage. Union leaders from across the Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain will address these issues at the event.

The day before the conference, on 24 March 2025, women workers and trade unionists meet for the UNI Europa Women’s Conference. Its theme ‘Collective Women Voices, Common Future’ underlines the 6th UNI Europa Regional Conference’s focus on collective bargaining and the necessity of including women and a gender perspective when bargaining for workers’ rights to build a common future for all.

Carol Scheffer, President of the UNI Europa Women’s committee, said:

As a long-term Irish trade unionist, I am delighted to host women union leaders from across Europe to the island of Ireland so we can strategise and discuss how we can advance the rights of women workers through collective bargaining as well as ensuring we create inclusive workplaces for all.

UNI Europa is the voice for the 7 million service workers that constitute the backbone of economic and social life in Europe. It is the regional body of UNI Global Union.

Headquartered in the heart of Brussels, Belgium, UNI Europa represents 272 national trade unions in 50 countries in over a dozen economic sectors: Commerce, Banking Insurance and Central Banks, Gaming, Graphical and Packaging, Hair and Beauty, Information and Communication Technology Services, Media, Entertainment and Arts, Postal Services and Logistics, Private Care and Social Insurance, Industrial Cleaning and Private Security, Professional Sport and Leisure, Professionals/Managers and Temporary Agency Workers.