The meeting came at a crucial moment, with several important European Commission strategies shaping the policy landscape, including those on LGBTIQ Equality, Gender Equality, Anti-Racism, and the updated Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Participants discussed how trade unions can actively contribute to these frameworks and ensure they translate into concrete improvements for workers across Europe.
Strengthening cooperation on anti-racism
A highlight of the meeting was the participation of Michaela Moua, EU Anti-Racism Coordinator, who presented her work and engaged in an open exchange with trade union representatives. The discussion focused on the role of social partners in combating racism in the workplace and beyond.
Participants explored how trade unions can deepen their contribution and strengthen workplace-level prevention. Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll Europe's General Secretary said: “The cooperation between institutions and social partners is important to tackle systemic discrimination effectively. We need to get the structures right, the policies right and the implementation right. And in the end, anti-racism must be “lived” in all contexts and circumstances, notably in the workplace.”
Building a counter-narrative to defend trade union values
The Working Group also addressed the growing influence of extremist narratives across Europe and the urgent need for trade unions to actively respond.
Participants highlighted the importance of developing a strong, inclusive counter-narrative that defends solidarity, equality, and democratic values. Initial brainstorming touched on both content and formats, including storytelling, member engagement, and targeted communication strategies.
To take this work forward, industriAll Europe will organise a dedicated workshop bringing together representatives from across the organisation — including the Executive Committee, Collective Bargaining Committee, and the Building Trade Union Power Taskforce. This initiative aims to define concrete tools and strategies to strengthen trade union messaging and mobilisation.
Pay Transparency Directive: urgent action needed
Another central topic of the meeting was the EU Pay Transparency Directive, a key instrument in tackling gender pay inequality.
Participants expressed strong concern about the poor state of transposition at national level. With the transposition deadline imminent (7 June 2026), only Slovakia has completed the process, raising serious questions about Member States’ political commitment.
The Working Group condemned the intense lobbying by employer organisations aimed at weakening implementation. Trade unions stressed that such resistance undermines efforts to close the gender pay gap and ensure fair pay for all workers.
IndustriAll Europe demands:
- Accelerated and ambitious transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive by all Member States, ensuring that its full potential is realised in practice.
- An end to employer resistance, with a call for constructive social dialogue on the implementation of pay transparency measures at workplace level.
- A legislative instrument on gender-based violence in the world of work, to better protect workers from harassment and abuse.
- Stronger legislation and enforcement to combat online and offline hate crimes, ensuring effective protection for all individuals and groups targeted by discrimination.
- Renewed efforts to ensure equal participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market and society, including simplified access to supplementary benefits when moving across borders for employment.
- Strong action to protect the equal rights of LGBTIQ+ workers, ensure non-discrimination, and promote DEI policies across all workplaces, at a time when this group is particularly under threat.