The sixth autonomous work programme of the European social partners supports the objectives of the 2016 quadri-partite statement on “A New Start for Social Dialogue1” to strengthen social dialogue at European and national levels; to foster the role and influence of national social partners in the European semester; and to step up capacity building support to national social partners, notably through the European Social Fund. The 2019-2021 Work-Programme addresses the six following priorities:

The ETUC Executive Committee supports sectorial collective bargaining and autonomy of sectorial social partners in Latvia! Latvia is one of the countries where coverage of collective bargaining of less than 35% and regarding which the ETUC in spring 2018 has issued an unprecedented ‘emergency alert’ highlighting the threat to achieve decent wages and working conditions for Latvian workers.

This leaflet provides a short sample of the many ways trade unions get involved in improving the quality and effectiveness of European Youth Employment policies at national level. The leaflet is available in the links below in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Letter to Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Johannes Hahn, European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Dear Vice-President, Dear Commissioners, The next EU-Egypt Association Council meeting, scheduled for 20 December, will primarily focus on implementing the 2017-2020 Partnership Priorities adopted on 16 June 2017.

This report of the ETUC and its Youth Committee contributes to the following aims: Need for a pool of systematic knowledge on what is happening at European and national levels in implementation of EU youth employment policies, with a focus on trade union involvement; provision of comparable cross-national information on existing practices of trade union involvement in EU youth employment policies; creation of a practical toolbox (recommendations) on trade union involvement in youth employment policies.

As the EU Japan FTA comes before the European Parliament the ETUC calls on MEPs to raise the threats it poses to workers’ rights, public services and social welfare.  We are concerned that the deal contains no enforceable provisions on workers’ rights. The sustainable development chapter of the agreement contains no independent enforcement court or sanctions when violations of labour rights occur which is essential to ensure commitments to labour standards are upheld as the ETUC has outlined in our progressive trade agenda.