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Which countries have the most strikes in the EU?

In the early part of 2026, Europe already became the stage for widespread demonstrations, leaving classrooms empty, flights grounded, and medical appointments missed. So, where have workers raised their voices the loudest?

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/12/which-countries-have-the-most-strikes-in-the-eu

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00:00Which countries have the most strikes in the EU?
00:07In the first quarter of 2026, Portugal, Italy, Spain and France reported the highest number
00:13of strikes among seven EU countries.
00:15These industrial actions mainly targeted the transport, education, healthcare and public
00:20administration sectors.
00:22On the other hand, the Netherlands has only seen around seven strikes in the same period,
00:26making it the country in the group with the fewest amount so far.
00:30Traditionally, workers in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria do not often engage in industrial
00:36action compared to other EU countries.
00:39Preliminary data suggests 2025 will be a record strike year since 1991, according to the European
00:46Trade Union Institute.
00:47Between 2020 and 2024, Finland, Belgium and France were the EU countries where people
00:53went on strike the most.
00:55While data on industrial action is scarce and fragmented as of 2024, the most common
01:00reason for the bigger strikes was wages, specifically wages failing to meet the higher costs of living
01:06due to inflation.
01:07In addition, trade union density has halved since 1985, falling from 30% to 15% between
01:152023 and 2024, except for Belgium, which has bucked the trend.
01:20The share of employees covered by collective agreements also declined significantly over the past 30 years,
01:26especially in Central and Eastern European countries.
01:29the newest wars with the country's nearly 91% and then landed towards the public investment in 2021.
01:29The share of a wealth and the future, the future, the future, the future, the future, the future, the future,
01:29the future, the future, the future, the future.
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