Conditions in Ukrainian working life and the employment conditions of the Ukrainian trade union movement are significant for the country’s development of democratic practices, the role of civil society, and adaptation to common European standards. Nevertheless, neither the Norwegian trade union movement, Norad, the refugee administration, nor the business sector has had a Norwegian centre of expertise to draw on with regard to Ukrainian working life and trade unions.
The project “Working Life in Ukraine” addresses this knowledge gap by linking research-based insights on Ukrainian working life directly to the knowledge needs of the trade union movement and of Norad, the refugee administration, and Norwegian business actors. This knowledge will improve the effectiveness of Norway’s overall support to Ukraine and contribute to efforts toward democratisation, reconstruction, and European integration.
The project includes a comprehensive dissemination strategy for sharing new and up-to-date knowledge. “Working Life in Ukraine” examines changes in the labour market and in workplaces resulting from the war and displacement both within Ukraine and beyond its borders; the different approaches of the Ukrainian trade union movement; changes in labour regulations and the position of trade unions under martial law; challenges related to establishing genuine tripartite cooperation in Ukraine; and adaptation to labour standards set by the EU, the Council of Europe, the ILO, and donors.

The project team consists of three categories of participants: key actors from the Norwegian trade union movement involved in support to Ukraine; leading Ukrainian experts on working life in Ukraine; and Norwegian social scientists with extensive knowledge of Ukraine, experience in disseminating research on the country, and central roles in networking within the Norwegian Ukraine-focused research community.

Project leader: Jørn Holm-Hansen, OsloMet (jornhh@oslomet.no)

Oslo Metropolitan University, Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR)