EU: new team at the head of the European Trade Union Confederation

General secretary and deputy general secretaries.  Bernadette Ségol has been a part of European and international trade unionism since 1975, at first at the International Textile Federation, ITGLWF, and then at Euro-FIET (commerce, banking, technology, cleaning and private safety).  When the FIET merged, in 2000, with MEI (media), CI (posts/telecom) and IGF (graphics) into UNI, Bernadette Ségol took the head of the Europe area (Uni Europa), to this day.  There, she notably fought against the principle of the application of the country of origin in the service directive, for the temporary work directive and against the liberalization of the postal sector.  Coming after John Monks, who ran the organization for the past eight years, Mrs. Ségol has a realistic view of the challenges her organization has to face: “We’re at a critical time, maybe even tragic, but also pivotal in European history.”  The tragedy comes from these “practices that attack wages and collective bargaining and that undermined workers’ trust in the European project.”  The bridge should come from “unionism resolutely keeping from coldly hiding behind national borders” and an ETUC “proposing alternatives to keep this from happening to workers’ detriment.”
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

ctive and against the liberalization of the postal sector. Coming after John Monks, who ran the organization for the past eight years, Mrs. Ségol has a realistic view of the challenges her organization has to face: “We’re at a critical time, maybe even tragic, but also pivotal in European history.” The tragedy comes from these “practices that attack wages and collective bargaining and that undermined workers’ trust in the European project.” The bridge should come from “unionism resolutely ke

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Italy: parental leave extended until the child’s 14th birthday
The 2026 Italian Finance Act has extended optional parental leave, which can now be taken until the child is 14 years old, up from 12 previously. This leave has a maximum duration of 10 or 11...
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
France: Decathlon’s jobs and career management agreement aims to bolster employee experience
The news. Sport retailer Decathlon and the trade unions (CFTC and Unsa) signed a jobs and career management agreement (GEPP – Gestion des emplois et parcours professionnels) on 24 February...
Spain: employers and unions pave the way for the textile retail sector’s first collective agreement
The Spanish employers' association for major textile companies (ARTE) and two of the unions involved in negotiations (CCOO and Fetico) signed a preliminary agreement on 23 March for the sector's...
25 March 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Catherine Chavanier (CDC Habitat): “Social dialogue on AI facilitates its deployment”
In February, CDC Habitat (10,500 employees) signed a two-year framework agreement governing social dialogue on AI. Catherine Chavanier, HR Director of the subsidiary of CDC (Caisse des dépôts et...
2
France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement
Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...
3
France: Club Med includes “multiculturalism” in its professional equality agreement
In December 2025, Club Med and the CFTC, Unsa, and FO trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality and working conditions. It introduces measures addressing AI, pay transparency, and...
23 March 2026
4
Greece: hospitality sector signs first collective agreement aligned with National Social Pact
The hospitality sector (125,000 employees), one of Greece’s largest industries after retail, signed a new two-year collective agreement on 17 March. The text, effective from 1 April 2026...
5
France: bioMérieux’s new disability agreement pivots towards mental health
The news. On 6 January 2026, bioMérieux—an in vitro diagnostics specialist employing 4,400 people in France—signed a new four-year agreement “relating to the employment...
6
United Kingdom: launch of consultation on protection against detriment for industrial action
The British government launched a public consultation on 26 February regarding new protections for workers against "detriment" related to industrial action, scheduled to take effect in October...
12 March 2026