Challenges for Organising and Collective Bargaining in Care, Administration and Waste collection sectors in Central Eastern European Countries

CEECAW Newsletter No. 3

2025.

Project: Challenges for Organising and Collective Bargaining in Care, Administration and Waste collection sectors in Central Eastern European Countries - CEECAW

The CEECAW project is firmly committed to strengthening collective bargaining across the sectors of care, public administration and waste management in Central and Eastern Europe. While previous editions focused on research findings and capacity-building workshops, this issue highlights the structural and political obstacles hindering the effective implementation of Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2022/2041.

We are now at a critical juncture: the Court of Justice of the European Union is expected to deliver its ruling on the Directive following the Advocate General’s opinion, issued on 14 January 2025, which recommended annulment in its entirety. There is no exact deadline for the Court’s decision.

Against this backdrop, this newsletter asks:

• What structural barriers continue to block the expansion of sectoral collective bargaining?

• What risks are unique to the care, waste, and public administration sectors in the CEE region?

• And perhaps most pressing: what conditions must be met for the Directive to serve as a genuine engine of social change and not a missed opportunity?

This issue does not promise easy answers. Instead, it invites reflection on lessons learned so far and on the need for bold, collaborative action among European institutions, national governments, and trade unions in order to bridge the gap between legal obligation and real- -world impact.

In addition, Newsletter 3 provides an update on key developments within the CEECAW Project, including:

(A) The publication of four policy papers with practical recommendations for implementing Article 4 of the Directive.

(B) The Scientific seminars held in 2025;

CEECAW Newsletter No. 1

CEECAW Newsletter No. 2