On 19 February 2020 the European Commission will announce its strategy for a Europe fit for the digital age.   The ETUC got reassurance from Commissioner Breton on 10 February that trade unions and workers’ representatives will be part of the solutions shaping a sustainable and socially acceptable digital transition within the EU industrial policy strategy, in particular via an inclusive governance structure.

A European directive on Human Rights due diligence and responsible business conduct including their supply chains will make the difference in better protecting workers rights and environmental standards. The Commission needs to act! In the next days, the European Commission will publish a report of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) on due diligence requirements for supply chains. The report analyses the state of play and the need for initiatives at European level, paving the way to a possible commission initiative.

Forthcoming European Commission Communication on Artificial Intelligence:  ETUC CALLS FOR AN AMBITIOUS STRATEGY RESPECTFUL OF WORKERS Ahead of the upcoming European Commission’s 2020 white paper on artificial intelligence, the European Trade Union Confederation reiterates the need for an ambitious European AI strategy to maintain and reinforce workers’ protection and involvement, and empower them to create sustainable use of AI tools.

AI must be designed to get rid of gender bias and stereotypes. Trade unions must ensure this happens from the making of the algorithm to its use by companies.

On Tuesday 11 February, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), the main monitoring body of the Council of Europe European Social Charter, decided - on a complaint submitted by Italian union CGIL against the Italian government (No. 158/2017) - that the right to protection in cases of termination of employment was violated by Italian law.

Brussels 06 February 2020 Adopted at the Extraordinary Executive Committee Meeting of 6 February 2020