Initiated 10 years ago, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) was meant to bring stability and prosperity to the European Union’s eastern neighbours. The EaP’s goal was that six countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – would strongly benefit from economic cooperation and intensified trade relations with the EU. In economic terms, there has been undeniable progress. So far, however, workers are not profiting from the economic growth in the EaP countries.
Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine entered free trade agreements and signed Association Agreements with the EU, expressing their desire for even greater integration. In these agreements, the three countries committed themselves, among other things, to international labour standards. The problem? Although the necessary directives – for instance, concerning minimum workplace health and safety requirements – have indeed been transposed into national law, social rights often exist only on paper. In reality, little has been done to change the situation. The consequences for employees in the three countries are grave, and in many cases even deadly.
Alarming conditions
Social dialogue as a means to foster good-quality jobs, decent work and increased productivity is virtually non-existent in the three countries. There is simply no genuine, systematic approach to mediate between employers and employees in order to avoid social unrest and strikes. In many instances, workers are forced to use strikes not as a means of last resort, but rather as the only possibility to force employers to start negotiations in the first place. Without constructive face-to-face negotiations, it’s extremely hard for workers to defend their right to fair wages and a safe working environment.
