European Trade Union Confederation

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and negotiates agreements and work programmes with European employers. It coordinates the national and sectoral policies of its affiliates on social and economic matters, particularly in the framework of the EU institutional processes, including European economic governance and the European Semester.

The ETUC was established in 1973, to coordinate and represent workers and their trade unions at the European level, and has grown as more countries have joined the EU.

At present, the ETUC represents almost 45 million workers across Europe, affiliated to 93 national trade union confederations from 41 European countries, and 10 European Trade Union Federations (ETUFs). It includes both a Women's Committee and a Youth Committee, which represent the interests of these two groups within its membership respectively.

Currently, the General Secretary of the organisation is Esther Lynch, who was elected in December 2022. The President is Wolfgang Katzian, from OEGB of Austria. The Deputy General Secretaries are Claes-Mikael Stahl and Isabelle Schömann; the Confederal Secretaries are Giulio Romani, Tea Jarc and Ludovic Voet.

The ETUC coordinates the activities of the 45 Interregional Trade Union Councils (IRTUCs), which organise trade union cooperation across national borders in the EU and defend the right to free movement of workers. In cooperation with the European Trade Union Institute, the ETUC has set up UnionMigrantNet, a network of trade union contact points within the member states, with the aim of assisting migrants and their families. Other trade union structures operating under the auspices of the ETUC are Eurocadres (Council of European Professional and Managerial Staff) and the European Federation of Retired and Older People (FERPA).

The ETUC's delegate congress, which takes place every four years, approves and amends the constitution, determines the strategy and general policy of the Confederation and elects its leadership team. All policies and activities are agreed by affiliates' representatives, who maintain their own independence. The 15th congress took place in Berlin in May 2023.

The ETUC's mission is to encourage European unity, peace and stability, enabling working people and their families to enjoy full human, civil, social and employment rights and high living standards. To achieve this, it promotes the European social model, combining sustainable economic growth with ever-improving living and working conditions, including full employment, well-functioning social dialogue and industrial relations, social protection, equal opportunities, good quality jobs, social inclusion, and open and democratic policy-making process that involves citizens fully in the decisions that affect them. At the 2015 Paris Congress, the ETUC agreed on a Manifesto and an Action Programme for four years until 2019. These documents focus on three objectives:

A strong economy