The final conference of the Central European Trade Union Network – CETUN Project took place in Vienna on January 27, 2026. Participants were representatives from 10 Central and Eastern European countries.
The Confederation of Trade Unions of Austria – OGB coordinated this two-year project, which aimed to strengthen cooperation, promote exchange of information, and establish joint positions at the European level. The OGB headquarters was the venue for the conference.
The conference began with opening speeches by Wolfgang Katzian, OGB President and President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC); Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Confederal Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs and Jurgen Czernohorszky, Executive City Counsellor in Vienna for the issues of climate, environment, democracy and personnel.
The main focus of the conference was the presentation of the Social Dialogue Study in Central European countries. During 2025 social partners in those countries participated in a survey of normative regulation, institutional system analysis, questionnaire and in online regional discussion. Current state was determined and recommendations for social dialogue improvement were provided for all participating countries.
In the questionnaire, trade union representatives from Serbia and Hungary highlighted the most critical positions on the state of social dialogue, describing it as irregular, formal and lacking essential influence. In these countries, the willingness of authorities to engage in meaningful consultations with social partners was ranked very low, and systemic obstacles to genuine dialogue were identified. Nevertheless, trade unions were profoundly devoted to social dialogue but also showed there was a mismatch between trade union efforts to participate and those of political-institutional environment to secure effective participation channels.
The author of the Study “Challenges and Pathways to Effective Social Dialogue in Central Europe” is Central European Institute for Labour Issues – CELSI and it will soon be available online on the website www.oegb.at/der-oegb/europabuero-und-eu/cetun.
Panel discussion with the regional trade union leaders and Austrian Labour Minister, Korinna Schumann focused on reaching joint conclusions on how to strengthen trade union position and social dialogue around Europe.
At this conference, Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia was represented by the President Zoran Mihajlović and Council Secretary Slađan Bobić.
The Confederation of Trade Unions of Austria – OGB coordinated this two-year project, which aimed to strengthen cooperation, promote exchange of information, and establish joint positions at the European level. The OGB headquarters was the venue for the conference.
The conference began with opening speeches by Wolfgang Katzian, OGB President and President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC); Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Confederal Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs and Jurgen Czernohorszky, Executive City Counsellor in Vienna for the issues of climate, environment, democracy and personnel.
The main focus of the conference was the presentation of the Social Dialogue Study in Central European countries. During 2025 social partners in those countries participated in a survey of normative regulation, institutional system analysis, questionnaire and in online regional discussion. Current state was determined and recommendations for social dialogue improvement were provided for all participating countries.
In the questionnaire, trade union representatives from Serbia and Hungary highlighted the most critical positions on the state of social dialogue, describing it as irregular, formal and lacking essential influence. In these countries, the willingness of authorities to engage in meaningful consultations with social partners was ranked very low, and systemic obstacles to genuine dialogue were identified. Nevertheless, trade unions were profoundly devoted to social dialogue but also showed there was a mismatch between trade union efforts to participate and those of political-institutional environment to secure effective participation channels.
The author of the Study “Challenges and Pathways to Effective Social Dialogue in Central Europe” is Central European Institute for Labour Issues – CELSI and it will soon be available online on the website www.oegb.at/der-oegb/europabuero-und-eu/cetun.
Panel discussion with the regional trade union leaders and Austrian Labour Minister, Korinna Schumann focused on reaching joint conclusions on how to strengthen trade union position and social dialogue around Europe.
At this conference, Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia was represented by the President Zoran Mihajlović and Council Secretary Slađan Bobić.
Credit for photograph: oegb_roland.deroo
