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Claes-Mikael Ståhl


Claes-Mikael Ståhl (cmstahl@etuc.org) has been deputy general secretary at the European Trade Union Confederation since September 2021. He deals primarily with social dialogue, trade and standardisation.

Claes-Mikael Ståhl

Democracy Under Siege: Trade Unions Rise as a Bulwark Against the Far Right

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 16th April 2025

Trade unions are poised to defend the institutions that bind society together.

Calling Time on 24/7 Work Connectivity

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 28th February 2025

The rapid development of new technologies is increasing pressure and forcing unlimited working time and growing stress among many workers across Europe. 

Social dialogue: defending democracy in practice

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 24th July 2024

In the face of the threat from the far right, trade unions represent democracy’s strongest supporters.

Democracy must set the standard

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 29th April 2024

Standardisation of how artificial intelligence is deployed in the workplace is not a technical but a political matter.

Democracy at work and in society: populist antidote

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 7th March 2024

Trade unions and other civil-society organisations are key to fending off the threat from the far right.

Time to recognise a fifth EU freedom: solidarity

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 26th January 2024

Tesla’s confrontation with Swedish workers highlights how solidarity must be enabled in a globalised Europe.

EU funds need stronger social conditionality

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 11th May 2023

The rules for allocation of EU funds should be more transparent and provide a meaningful role for the social partners.

Stress at work: countering Europe’s new pandemic

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 3rd April 2023

Occupational stress has become endemic. It damages workers, their families, businesses and economies.

Social dialogue must be at the heart of Europe’s future

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 24th January 2023

This week the European Commission will publish a proposal to revivify social dialogue. It must be more than words.

Health and safety: Europe’s patchy commitment

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 6th October 2022

The European Union must stop compromising on the fundamental right of workers to health and safety.

Labour shortages offer trade unions valuable opportunity

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 11th July 2022

A ‘tight’ labour market is not such a bad thing for trade unions—and therefore for workers.

Sanctions on Russia: the next phase

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 5th April 2022

Sanctions have so far been economic and short-term. The long-term goal of political freedom in Russia must be kept in mind.

Cutting workplace accidents and diseases to zero

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 27th January 2022

The pandemic has focused attention on health and safety. But workers were already dying just trying to make a living.

EU strategic autonomy must mean fairer trade

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 16th December 2021

If ‘strategic autonomy’ is to define the EU’s relation to the world, linked trade deals must not mean dependence for workers.

Aiming for a revolution in world trade

Claes-Mikael Ståhl 10th November 2021

In the neoliberal era, global trade deals have come at the expense of workers. That can and must be reversed.

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Spring Issues

The Summer issue of The Progressive Post is out!


It is time to take action and to forge a path towards a Socialist renewal.


European Socialists struggle to balance their responsibilities with the need to take bold positions and actions in the face of many major crises, while far-right political parties are increasingly gaining ground. Against this background, we offer European progressive forces food for thought on projecting themselves into the future.


Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss the transformative power of European Social Democracy, examine the far right’s efforts to redesign education systems to serve its own political agenda and highlight the growing threat of anti-gender movements to LGBTIQ+ rights – among other pressing topics.

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WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

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S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

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