An impact event for the ESRC-funded project, The Politics of Equality at Work, which aims to understand how equality policies have developed across time within different national, institutional, and political contexts, was hosted by the FNV union in the Netherlands on 6th November at the headquarters in Utrecht. The FNV are the main national trade union confederation. The 2 hour research seminar, presented by Stefania Marino, Miguel Martinez Lucio, and Holly Smith, all of the Work and Equalities Institute, presented an overview and some early findings from the research, which draws on 170 interviews across Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the UK. The presentations explored in-depth examples of equalities initiatives in each country case, such as tripartite engagement at the policy level in the Netherlands, Equality Plans in Spain, and the role of trade union equality reps in the UK. The project also includes France, and the findings were presented in Paris during September by the fourth member of the project Heather Connolly (Grenoble Ecole de Management). Future events are being planned in various other national contexts.

The presentations were followed by questions and discussion with the practitioner audience, which included academics, union researchers, union officers, and lay members of their equalities networks, some of whom had been participants in the research. The research team from Manchester spent the day with various individuals of the FNV in Utrecht.

The event highlighted the need and mutual benefit for knowledge exchange across borders with academics and trade union practitioners which can enrich and advance policy and practice on equality at work.