UNI Europa Calls for Fair Working Time
17. October 2025New UNI Europa Report Calls for Fair Working Time in Europe’s Service Sectors
On the World Day for Decent Work, UNI Europa has published a new report highlighting growing challenges for workers across Europe’s service sectors and proposing concrete solutions to build fair and sustainable working time models in commerce, information technology, care, and property services.
Unfair and Unsustainable Working Time Models
The report, Fair Working Time Matters, reveals that millions of service-sector workers in Europe face increasing risks due to insecure and unsustainable working time arrangements. It shows that collective bargaining is the most effective tool to address precarious hours, involuntary part-time work, and the growing pressures of an “always-on” culture.
UNI Europa urges policymakers to strengthen collective bargaining rights by introducing legislation that links public procurement to fair working conditions and social responsibility.
Key Findings
- Diverging Trends in Working Time
Average working hours in Europe have declined to around 37 per week, but this trend is uneven across sectors. In care, commerce, and property services, many employees face involuntary part-time work and unstable incomes, while ICT professionals often experience excessive overtime and find it difficult to disconnect from work. Nearly 46 per cent of European workers would prefer to work fewer hours, while 10 per cent wish to work more. - Financial Insecurity and Unstable Schedules
Many workers face low wages, irregular shifts, and last-minute scheduling. In retail and cleaning, zero-hour and on-call contracts leave employees without predictable income or time for family life. - Work Intensity and Health Risks
Staff shortages and cost-cutting have increased pressure on workers, pushing many to exhaustion. Europe’s care sector alone faced a shortage of 1.6 million health and social care workers in 2024, projected to reach 4 million by 2030. Care staff, cleaners, and security guards face heavy physical and emotional strain, while ICT professionals increasingly suffer from burnout linked to constant digital connectivity. - Unequal Access to Flexibility
Remote and hybrid work have improved work–life balance for some ICT employees, but flexibility remains a privilege mainly for higher-skilled roles. Workers in in-person sectors remain locked into unpredictable and often unsocial schedules. In Hungary, retail workers’ shifts can be changed with just 24 hours’ notice, while in Finland, many receive last-minute shift notifications through WhatsApp.
Collective Bargaining Delivers Solutions
Despite this bleak picture, the report shows that strong trade unions and social partnerships make a real difference. In Belgium’s security sector, collective agreements have introduced guaranteed minimum hours, while in Ireland, workers have won the right to advance notice of their shifts.
UNI Europa calls on EU policymakers to establish minimum legal standards for working time and to include social conditionalities in existing legislation, such as the European public procurement directives, to ensure that public contracts uphold decent working conditions.
Conclusion
The Fair Working Time Matters report highlights the urgent need to strengthen collective bargaining and ensure fair working time for Europe’s service workers. Fair scheduling is not only about work–life balance—it is fundamental to health, safety, and economic justice.
By empowering unions and embedding fairness into legislation, Europe can build service sectors where workers’ time, dignity, and well-being are respected.