Trade union leaders from across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus gathered in Chișinău, Moldova, from 7 to 9 April 2026 for the BWI Eurasian Cement Seminar, reaffirming their commitment to decent work, stronger unions, and a just transition in the rapidly transforming cement industry. Hosted at the Institute of Labour of Trade Unions of Moldova, the seminar brought together union representatives from Belgium, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine to strengthen cooperation, exchange organising strategies, and align actions with the 2024 International Labour Organization (ILO) Conclusions on Decent Work and Just Transition in the Building Materials Sector, including Cement.

Discussions focused on ensuring that industrial decarbonisation and the shift to a green economy do not come at the expense of workers’ rights. Participants stressed the need for secure jobs, proper employment classification, occupational safety and health (OSH), and genuine social dialogue at all levels. Delegates also highlighted the importance of collective bargaining in managing technological change and industrial diversification, while calling on governments and employers to tie public funding, procurement, and industrial investments to strict compliance with labour rights, OSH, and environmental standards throughout supply chains and subcontracting networks.

Country reports underscored both shared and distinct challenges across the region. Unions in Georgia are addressing dust exposure and the impact of new technologies in cement plants. At the same time, Kazakhstan continues to face weak enforcement of labour and environmental standards, low wages, and serious occupational safety and health (OSH) risks despite gains in collective agreements. Romania and Serbia reported stronger social dialogue and collective bargaining structures, although both countries face ageing workforces and difficulties attracting younger workers. In Ukraine, unions continue to prioritise workplace safety and skills training amid the severe impacts of war on the labour force. Participants also examined the example of Holcim’s Go4Zero project in Obourg, Belgium, which demonstrated how decarbonisation can advance alongside job protection, high OSH standards, and active worker participation. All of these were supported in part by a grant from the European Union Innovation Fund. Participants likewise visited the Holcim Materials Testing Laboratory in Chișinău, Moldova, where they were introduced to modern quality control systems, safety procedures, and innovation processes in cement production, including Lockout/Tagout (LOTOTO) safety systems and ongoing decarbonisation initiatives. Discussions throughout the visit highlighted that technological upgrades must go hand in hand with robust worker training and effective social dialogue. 

Pierre Cuppens, Chair of the BWI Global Cement Network, stressed that workers must play a central role in shaping industrial transition. “The just transition will only succeed if workers are fully involved through a strong trade union organisation at the plant level and across the cement and building materials industry. Only then can collective bargaining and social dialogue effectively shape technological change and protect decent work. The ILO Conclusions on Decent Work and Just Transition in the Cement sector must now be implemented by governments and all social partners, and it is important that our network has identified and planned first follow-up actions at national and enterprise level,” he said.

Victor Talmaci, President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Construction and Building Materials Workers SINDICONS Moldova, meanwhile, emphasised the need to modernise organising methods across the sector. “This seminar shows that cement workers face common challenges across countries. Our priority is to organise workers more effectively at the plant level using innovative approaches and to increase union membership across the building materials sector, which is the backbone of construction. Only by strengthening and modernising organising methods can we ensure a just transition that includes all workers,” he said.