The expected systemic changes that were supposed to improve conditions in the healthcare and social services sectors have not materialized – care workers continue to receive low wages, face a chronic shortage of staff, and their work has serious impacts on their physical and mental health. These conditions are leading to a further exodus of employees from social services, deepening the care crisis.

The aim of the meeting, held on June 10 and 11 in Prague, was to discuss and share perspectives on possible solutions to the care crisis among key stakeholders in the social services sector – representatives of employers, employees, and policymakers.

The event was also attended by CELSI researcher Simona Brunnerová, who presented the findings of a national report on the state of this sector in Czechia.

In addition to her presentation, the three discussion panels featured contributions from Jesse Wilderman (UNI), Aleš Juchelka (ANO), Jiří Horecký (APSS), Kateřina Kavalírová and Ivo Grossmann (UZO), Dana Búriková (ALICE), Martin Máša (IQRS), and Ivana Kuchyňková (Caritas Czech Republic).

The roundtable, organized by UNI Europa and the Union of Employees in Commerce, Logistics, and Services (UZO), took place within the framework of the BARSERVICE project titled “Smart Bargaining in the Services Sector”, which aims to strengthen collective bargaining in European service sectors.

The project seeks to identify and address the main challenges these sectors face through the collection and analysis of data from nine countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Turkey.

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