At the head of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is Esther Lynch (UK, 60), who before taking office in 2015 played a key role in developing trade union strategies in Ireland, her adopted country, where she started as a workers' representative in the eighties.

Question. What are the main challenges facing trade unionism in the coming years?

Answer. Two in particular: the rising cost of living and the consequent need for workers to obtain wage increases that will enable them to stay afloat; and the emergence of new forms of work that seem to have more in common with what happened 100 years ago than with the future.

Q. Which ones are you referring to?

A. To the ways of working that the platforms are promoting, which are characterized by fueling competition between workers, also forcing them to become self-employed to avoid being able to bargain collectively to obtain fair treatment. The reality is that unionized workers have better working conditions and higher wages.

Q. Does the emergence of remote work and the consequent loss of the feeling of belonging to a collective jeopardize the strength of unions?

A. In the same way that there are multiple technological tools that allow employees to connect to their position from home, there are also others that give us the opportunity for unions to interact with them virtually. But it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. We are looking for formulas that encourage debate among workers, whether remotely or in person. Trade unions have always been very innovative.

Q. How are unions preparing themselves so as not to lose their strength in a context in which the employee is the one who decides from where he works?

A. What we are currently experiencing is a resurgence of the feeling of injustice on the part of those workers who during the last decade have been observing how the benefits of their work have not had an impact on an improvement in their wages and with the recent rise in prices they are feeling that pinch in their pockets. So they are taking to the streets to make it clear that enough is enough and that justice has to return. All our virtual actions must be in addition to the action on the street.

Q. Do unions really have the capacity to exert pressure to force companies to raise wages? In Spain it has not yet been achieved.

A. There are two things that are happening right now. There are companies that are using the war in Ukraine as a disguise, as a way to increase their profits. And we have seen this with energy companies, which doubled their profits in 2022. While, at the same time, many workers cannot afford to keep a roof over their head or put a plate of food on the table. What we want is to secure workers' employment and incomes. We also call on all governments around the world to take into account the reality of what is happening and to put in place tailor-made solutions. And the best way to create and implement those solutions is through social dialogue. Which means they have to sit down with the unions and discuss what the problem is and what solution would work best to combat it. We must not be ignored in the development of these response policies.

Q. In Spain the minimum wage has risen by 47% in the last five years, a conquest that would not have occurred without the pressure of the unions.

A. It is an important measure that we want to be taken throughout Europe, because we do not conceive that competition between companies is based on wage devaluation. That is why we are so keen to campaign for the European directive on the minimum wage, which states that the basic salary in the Member States must be 60% of the average wage. Collective agreements are a way to bring fair wages back into the economy.

Q. Are unions facing one of the biggest transformations in their history?

A. Yes. The times when unions worked best were when workers needed them most. And if we look at the current moment, workers need a change because of all the imbalances that are occurring not only in the work environment, but also other branches such as health, education, transport or housing. All of this is creating a real need for a collective approach to workers wherever they are.

Q. Do companies like Twitter, Amazon or Google pose a threat to future labor gains?

A. We are focused on the fight against all kinds of anti-union activities that grew and developed in the United States in recent years, and then we have seen how these companies have tried to replicate in Europe. And that is unacceptable, because the European social model does not work like that. The European social model works on the basis of social dialogue, respect for trade unions and respect for workers and the work they do. And I think it's clear to workers that the best way to do that is through the union.

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