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AUTHOR PROFILE

Esther Lynch

Esther Lynch

Esther Lynch was elected general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation in December 2022. She has extensive trade union experience at Irish, European and international levels, starting with her election as a shop steward in the 1980s.

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Von der Leyen’s State of the Union Must Speak to Workers, Not CEOs

Esther Lynch

Europe spends €2 trillion a year on public contracts, most awarded to the lowest bidder, fuelling precarious work.

Silhouette of a person with rising bar graphs and a red sun in the background.

Higher Interest Rates Punish Workers for a Crisis They Did Not Cause

Esther Lynch

As central banks squeeze households, corporations protect their margins — and the European social model pays the price.

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The European elections: the right lessons to learn

Esther Lynch

There remains a democratic majority in the European Parliament to tackle the economic and social insecurity fuelling populism.

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A warning to Scrooges: cut long working hours

Esther Lynch

A right to disconect, collective bargaining and public procurement are the levers to reduce excessive working hours.

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The shadow of austerity—and authoritarianism

Esther Lynch

European trade unions are mobilising today in Brussels against the austerity which would follow reimplanted fiscal rules.

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Europe needs a social compass

Esther Lynch, Nicola Countouris and Philippe Pochet

Europe is undergoing multiple transitions. For these to succeed, social dialogue to build consensus will be essential.

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A message for May Day: come together, win change

Esther Lynch

Workers are under tremendous pressure amid the cost-of-living crisis. But trade unions are showing resilience to inspire.

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Trade unions on the frontline in the cost-of-living crisis

Esther Lynch

Defending workers' living standards has become trade unions' primary concern.

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The courage to change

Esther Lynch and Bruno Bobone

Europe’s trade union and Christian business leaders appeal jointly for a new economic and social order after the pandemic.

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A ‘vision zero’ goal for accidents at work

Eva Nordmark, Peter Hummelgaard, Johan Danielsson, Marianne Vind, Manuel Pizarro and Esther Lynch

There are no acceptable levels of workplace fatalities—a focus on prevention is needed.

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Time to put an end to union-busting

Esther Lynch

Trade union rights are human rights and must be protected in EU law.

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Fair wages are key to Europe’s recovery

Esther Lynch

Ensuring a high wage floor in the EU is not just the right thing to do to lift the low paid but is integral to recovery from the pandemic.

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Making work fit for workers after Covid-19

Esther Lynch

The welfare state sought to protect workers from labour-market risks. After Covid-19, reduced working time and greater autonomy must be on the agenda.

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How digitalisation must be harnessed to save jobs

Esther Lynch

A framework agreement between the social partners should ensure job security and worker involvement are prioritised across the European Union.

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Calling time on violence against women in the workplace

Esther Lynch

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, over 50 female union leaders urge stronger action by the incoming European Commission.

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Tackling insecure work in Europe—a critical moment

Esther Lynch

The good news is that employment in the EU is at a record high. The bad news is that so much of it is insecure work—and a directive currently in train needs to be tough enough to fix that.

Next

S&D Group in the European Parliament Advertisement

S&D conference The Middle East at crossroads: A progressive vision, 9 September 2026, European Parliament, Brussels

S&D conference “The Middle East at crossroads: A progressive vision”

In case you missed it, you can watch the replay of the S&D Group’s conference “The Middle East at crossroads: A progressive vision” by clicking the button below, and read the press release and opinion piece.

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Cover of the ETUI report Climate change and workers’ health: protecting workers against heat and other climate-related hazards, by Marouane Laabbas-el-Guennouni and Andreas D. Flouris.

New Report - Climate change and workers’ health

After a summer marked by repeated heatwaves across Europe, this publication tackles an increasingly urgent issue: workplace heat exposure, now one of the leading climate-related threats to workers' health. The report identifies the sectors and workers most at risk, and calls for a dedicated EU directive to strengthen and harmonise their protection.

READ HERE

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EurofoundTalks podcast with Mary McCaughey and Eszter Sandor: Is financial resilience and trust in Europe faltering?

Is financial resilience and trust in Europe faltering?

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, host Mary McCaughey and senior researcher Eszter Sandor unpack the results of the 2025 Living and Working in the EU e-survey. While headline inflation has stabilised at 2.1%, the data reveals a continent gripped by chronic precariousness, with 57% of respondents now at risk of depression. Mary and Eszter explore how this economic insecurity is impacting institutional trust and democratic engagement.

LISTEN HERE

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Cover of The Progressive Post issue 31, Summer 2026: The Mediterranean, a crowded sea.

The Summer issue of The Progressive Post is out! 

The EU is belatedly awakening to a changing Mediterranean sea, where more assertive regional powers are reclaiming a role.

The new issue of the magazine also reflects on how we struggle to keep pace with AI innovations, examines the uncertainties surrounding the execution of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the risk to human rights posed by the Return Regulation, and focuses on the EU Commission's newly proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.

READ THE MAGAZINE

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WSI blog series “Climate Transition: Socially Just and Fair”: Equality in the labour market – the challenges of the socio-ecological transformation, by Silke Bothfeld and Peter Bleses

Equality in the labour market: the challenges of the socio-ecological transformation

In order to ensure that the socio-ecological transformation is gender-equitable, a strategy for expanding services must be combined with better working conditions.

READ HERE

FES Advertisement

Cover of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung analysis The Capability State: A Progressive Vision for the 21st Century by Henning Meyer.

“What is the actual purpose of the state?” – this central question is the focus of the analysis. At a time when bureaucratic processes are making life difficult for citizens, the paper proposes a three-part model. It aims at a conception of the state as a platform that helps society build the capabilities it needs to address its problems effectively.

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