Addressing delegates, Isabelle Barthès brought the fraternal greetings of IndustriAll Europe’s 200 affiliated trade unions and thanked OZ KOVO President Monika Bendekova and her team for their strong commitment to the European trade union movement.
“Your commitment is a clear example of what makes our European trade union movement stronger.”
Industrial workers across Europe are facing a combination of unprecedented challenges, including geopolitical instability, high energy prices, weak investment and growing global competition. These pressures are already having a direct impact on workers through job losses, declining purchasing power and increasing insecurity.
“Deindustrialisation is not inevitable, it is the result of political and economic choices. This means it can – and must – be stopped.” Said Isabelle Barthès
Defending industrial jobs, rebuilding Europe’s industrial base and protecting workers’ living standards remain key priorities for IndustriAll Europe. Europe needs a different economic model based on investment in industry, strategic autonomy and protection against unfair global competition, supported by industrial policies that deliver for workers rather than profits alone.
Central to achieving these goals is the collective power of workers and trade unions.
IndustriAll Europe’s campaign for Good Industrial Jobs, which brought 6,000 industrial workers to Brussels in 2025, including many workers from Slovakia and other Central and Eastern European countries. The mobilisation called for investment, quality jobs, stronger workers’ rights and social conditionalities linked to public support for industry.
Similarly, industriAll Europe’s European day of action on 5 February this year, brought together trade unions from across Europe who mobilised to demand urgent action from EU institutions to defend European industry. Slovak trade unionists played a key role in the regional mobilisation held in Ostrava.
“These actions are not just symbolic. They deliver results.”
There is a growing recognition of industrial policy at European level, including the introduction of “Made in Europe” requirements for key technologies, stronger social conditionalities and a renewed focus on quality jobs.
Alongside this, Europe has seen recent progress in the steel sector. Faced with unfair imports and global overcapacity threatening thousands of jobs, IndustriAll Europe and our affiliates mobilised workers and pressed EU institutions to act. This contributed to the adoption of safeguard measures aimed at protecting European steelworkers.
“Without this collective European action, steelworkers would have been left defenceless.”
Looking ahead, strong workplace organisation remains the foundation of trade union power.
“Without strong unions at workplace level, there is no collective bargaining, no decent wages and no real democracy at work.” Highlighted Isabelle Barthès.
Paying tribute to OZ KOVO’s organising efforts, Isabelle Barthès emphasised that strong unions at local level strengthen the wider European trade union movement.
The European Minimum Wage Directive is an important achievement for workers, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, where it supports adequate minimum wages and strengthens collective bargaining. However, she emphasised that the ultimate goal remains securing real wage increases through stronger union power.
“We need continued solidarity and cross-border cooperation to ensure that Europe’s industrial transformation benefits all workers and all regions. When we organise, mobilise and act together across borders, we are stronger. We defend industry, we raise wages and we shape the future. Your work in OZ KOVO turns solidarity into real power.” Concluded Isabelle Barthès