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COZZ leads and co-implements projects supporting workers’ rights and awareness under grants from the European Commission, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, and UNHCR.

Current:

  • 2023

    – 2026

    INVOLVE

    Horizon

    COZZ participates within a consortium led by the Belgian research organization, Bewingen, for the INVOLVE project, which is funded by the European Commission Horizons program, and which runs from January 2023 to December 2026, involving focus group research and interviews with workers in the Poland care sector. COZZ has carried out 12 focus groups with older women care-sector workers; we also have provided in-depth analysis and social research; it also relayed key messages and policy recommendations to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and to employers and the sector union. The research findings have been a valuable input to workers’ efforts at Emeis toward collective bargaining for better wages and working conditions.  

  • 2025

    – 2026

    Stepping into the Job

    Helping refugee teens get a fair treatment in their first jobs

    This project supports Ukrainian refugee teenagers in Poland and Germany for decent work contracts, safety and health protections.

    COZZ leads a consortium with UNI Europa and the Warsaw-based education organization, Fundacja Pro Futuro, to carry out the project, “Stepping into a job: Helping Ukrainian Refugee Teens Enter the Central European Labour Market Safely and Legally, and Weighing the Trade-offs with Education“. With the support of the European Social Fund+ Social Innovation+ Initiative, the project aims to support Ukrainian refugee teenagers in Germany and Poland to plan for careers, balance school and jobs, and understand their rights and how to respond to unfair situations.. 

    Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland and Germany have accepted nearly 2.2 million Ukrainian refugees. Of these almost 350,000 are teenagers between 15 and 19 years old, entering the labour markets for the first time, including through informal markets, and with unfair and abusive contracts. Nearly half of refugee teens in Poland don’t participate in the public education system. Lacking both local language skills and knowledge of labour regulations, and under great pressure to find work quickly, many of these youngsters are vulnerable to exploitation.

    During 2025-2026, the project team meets with more than 4000 Ukrainian youth across high schools and community centers in Poland and Germany, assessing knowledge gaps, providing training, and developing a courseware app that helps teens plan careers and know their rights. The app are be complemented by live counsellors and the Unions Help Refugees helpline, offering personal and confidential support. 

    Contact: Colleen Mascenik, Project Coordinatore and Deputy Director for Projects & Strategy, COZZ.

    This project (ESF-SI-2024-UA-01-0089) is supported by the European Union.

    **Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.

  • 2024

    – 2026

    DigitalUp

    COZZ participates in a consortium led by UNI Europa for the European Social Fund (ESF) project “DigitalUp”  from 2024-2026. The project supports unions in Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine. It involves building capacity for members of associated unions in digital and union organizing skills, mentoring leaders of associated unions, and organizing a national, public, online workshop about challenges to workers’ rights in the changing economic context. In addition, COZZ develops digital tools that support union-building and collective bargaining. 

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