Seven French union federations have issued this statement supporting the protest in Paris on 21 February. Apologies for any roughness in translation. For the statement issued on 21 January by eight federations, see here. For the statement as issued in French, as a PDF, see below.
For a just and lasting peace, solidarity with Ukraine that resists!
It is urgent to stop the war!
On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, betting on a quick victory: marching on Kiev, quickly reaching the borders of the European Union, and paving the way for the realisation of an imperialist project of controlling Eastern Europe and dismantling Europe. This strategy has encountered the determined resistance of the Ukrainian people. The mobilisation of civil society, the cohesion of the state, and the tenacity of Ukrainian forces have thwarted Moscow’s initial plans.
Back at the head of the American federal government, Donald Trump joins Putin in his endeavor to destroy international law built on the lessons of the two world wars. These two leading nuclear powers of the planet have also just ended the system of regulation and mutual control of nuclear armament in effect since 1972. Ukraine is paying an immense human toll for this war. Hundreds of thousands of women and men have been forced to take up arms, while families are torn apart by death, exile, or occupation. Unable to achieve decisive military victories, Russia seeks to subjugate the population by relentlessly bombing far from the front line, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, and weaponising the cold, winter, and shortages.
In the occupied territories, repression is in full swing: the obligation to take a Russian passport under threat of expulsion and denial of access to healthcare and social benefits, arbitrary expropriations of housing, forced erasure of any Ukrainian identity, militarisation of education in schools. Solidarity with the resistance of the workers of Ukraine and their unions! French trade union organisations, CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC, UNSA, Solidaires, and FSU, actively participate in the large international solidarity movement with Ukraine. Together we have organised three humanitarian convoys towards the Ukrainian trade union organisations, FPU and KVPU, which remain fully mobilised for the defense of the rights of workers despite the destruction caused by the Russian invader and the restrictions on public freedoms imposed by martial law.
We express our deep admiration and respect for the workers of Ukraine, who continue to go to work and keep their country running despite the constant threat of bombings, especially those who maintain and repair civilian infrastructure at the risk of their lives. We mourn the memory of hundreds of people who died at work, like the twelve miners from the Dnipropetrovsk region, killed by a Russian drone on February 1st. We witness the courage of Ukrainian refugees who are working today in Europe, contributing to the economies of host countries, while bearing the daily anxiety for their loved ones left in Ukraine. We salute the perseverance of Ukrainian children, whose classes are constantly interrupted by air alerts and who bear a double educational burden when studying in Europe: integrating into European educational systems.
While continuing, often online and at the cost of considerable efforts, the Ukrainian curriculum in order to preserve their language, their culture, and their national identity.
Finally, we admire the strength of civil society which, after years of war, rose in July 2025 to defend the independence of anti-corruption institutions and succeeded in pushing back the power, teaching it a lesson in integrity.
Respect the rights to union freedoms and the right to dignity at work!
The collective determination of the Ukrainian people to work, to learn, to defend themselves, and to keep their attacked country alive constitutes a remarkable act of civic resistance. It calls for our active solidarity, full and complete social rights, and public policies that match this commitment and dignity, as discussions on accession to the European Union are open and a major conference on reconstruction is to be held in Poland in June 2026.
However, Ukrainian trade union organisations are sounding the alarm. The draft labor code presented by the government to Parliament at the beginning of 2026 was not developed in accordance with the rules for consulting trade unions. It includes serious setbacks: restriction of the right to strike and union freedoms, weakening of labor inspection, introduction of employer lockouts, generalisation of fixed-term contracts, increased obstacles to claims in cases of unpaid wages, complicating the recognition of the employment contract, and regression of health and safety standards at work.
We strongly affirm that union freedoms and the rights of workers must constitute a fundamental pillar of the future of Ukraine and Europe. They cannot be considered as adjustment variables in times of war or reconstruction: they are, on the contrary, essential guarantees against arbitrariness, exploitation, and inequalities. There can be no credible democracy without full respect for the right to union organisation, collective bargaining, the right to strike, and dignified and secure working conditions.
For a just and lasting peace to return to the European continent, the French inter-union of solidarity with Ukraine calls to participate in the march for Ukraine which will take place on Saturday, February 21, 2026, starting from the Place de la République at 2pm towards the Place de la Bastille.
Solidarity with the resistance of workers in Ukraine!
Solidarity with Ukrainian unions!
Down with the war! Russian troops out of Ukraine!
Peace in Ukraine – Freedom in Russia and Belarus!
[16 February 2026]
Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (Кампанія Солідарності з Україною) 