Nordic Financial Unions at UNI Europa Conference in Belfast

Last week, the Nordic Financial Unions (NFU) and its Nordic affiliates travelled to Belfast to participate in the UNI Europa Conference. The event brought together over 600 trade union leaders from across Europe to celebrate 25 years of UNI Europa and to strategise for the future of workers’ rights and collective bargaining.

Women’s Conference: A Strong Call for Equality

The week began with the UNI Europa Women’s Conference, held under the theme “Collective Women’s Voices, Common Future.” The conference emphasised the crucial role of collective bargaining in advancing gender equality and securing fairer working conditions for all.

Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, addressed the gathering with a powerful speech warning against the global backlash against diversity and equality initiatives. She highlighted the concerning trend of major multinational corporations rolling back diversity efforts and stressed the threat posed by political shifts in the US and Europe.

“Milei and Trump are both part of a worldwide backlash against women’s equality,” Hoffman stated, urging European trade unions to stay vigilant against regressive policies that endanger gender equality gains.

NFU is proud to witness the active participation of its Nordic affiliates, who advocated for significant issues, including:

• Ensuring equal pay and closing the gender pay gap.
• Recognising gender-based and domestic violence as critical workplace issues.
• Expanding home insurance coverage to protect victims of domestic violence.
• Raising awareness and challenging societal attitudes that hinder gender equality.

The conference concluded by adopting strategic priorities for 2025-2029, reaffirming UNI Europa’s commitment to keeping gender equality at the core of its agenda.

Advancing Workers’ Rights Through Collective Bargaining

Throughout the three-day conference, discussions centred on key challenges and opportunities for European workers. One of the central themes was public procurement reform, where trade unionists called on EU institutions to ensure that public contracts are linked to collective agreements, reinforcing fair labour practices.

NFU’s Nordic affiliates played a key role in the discussions, delivering engaging speeches on topics including AI, social dialogue, and youth worker empowerment, some of which are mentioned below:

• Finland: Antti Hakala from Trade Union Pro underscored the importance of adapting to changing labour conditions. “We need to find new areas of contract. We must update our communications. When we fight together, we achieve better results,” he stressed.
• Denmark: Annette Mikelsen from Finansforbundet shared Denmark’s ambitious initiative to train one million people in AI skills through a national digital partnership. “Let’s make AI a source of better jobs and not a threat to livelihoods,” she stated.
• Norway: Arne Fredrik Håstein from Finansforbundet spoke on the growing influence of far-right movements and their impact on unions. “Many of these movements are not union-friendly. They often promote policies that weaken workers’ rights and union influence. We must continue to support and strengthen unions to protect our shared values of justice, equality, and solidarity.”
• Sweden: Ulrika Boëthius from Finansförbundet emphasised the vital need to cherish and uphold the historical progress the trade union movements achieved, ensuring we do not lose our influence even when political headwinds blow.
• Iceland: Ari Skúlason from SSF Iceland stressed the importance of listening to and empowering youth workers, which is a priority for SSF Iceland in their union efforts.

Strengthening European Trade Union Cooperation

A key outcome of the conference was the re-election of Oliver Roethig as Regional Secretary and Peter Hellberg as President of UNI Europa. Lieveke Norga from ACV Puls was also elected as the first Vice President. The conference also adopted crucial motions and resolutions, including firm commitments to combat the far right and defend democratic values across Europe.

NFU is honoured to have participated in this landmark event alongside its seven Nordic union affiliates. As extreme right movements and efforts to undermine democratic and trade union rights increase, European cooperation is more crucial than ever. This conference underscores the importance of collaborating across borders to achieve a fair, sustainable, and equitable future for all workers across the continent.

For more details about the conference and its outcomes, please visit UNI Europa’s website.