ETUC Statement before 1st stage consultation on Platform Work This week, on Wednesday 24 February 2021, the European Commission will launch the first phase of the consultation of the social partners on improving the working conditions of workers on digital platforms.

Dear President von der Leyen, Dear Executive Vice President Dombrovskis, Dear Commissioner Kyriakides, The European Trade Union Confederation is writing to you about our concern that the European Union are among World Trade Organisation members which have not yet approved a waiver from the copyright provisions in the TRIPS agreement for Covid-19 vaccines.

Political roadmap of the upcoming European initiative on “Improving the working conditions of platform workers”[1] Resolution adopted at the extraordinary virtual Executive Committee meeting on 9 February 2021

The new CAP needs social conditionality - End exploitation and raise labour standards in European agriculture Together with other 300 organisations, the ETUC signed this open letter addressed to key Commissioners, EU Parliament negotiating MEPs, and national agriculture ministers

ETUC position on the assessment of the Regulation establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility. A first step toward a People’s Recovery Adopted this document at the extraordinary virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 9th February 2021

Adopted at the Executive Committee Meeting of 9th February 2021

European youth are severely affected by the pandemic. One in six young people lost their job due to the economic consequences of COVID-19. In September 2020, the EU youth unemployment rate was 17.1%. Youth unemployment has soared in several countries, including Spain (40,5%), Italy (29,7%), Bulgaria (18,3%) and France (19,6%).

The ETUC is deeply worried about the deterioration of the relationship between Russia and the EU and firmly condemns the expulsion by the Moscow authorities of three EU diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden, after they expressed concerns for the state of human rights in the country. The ETUC doesn't interfere in internal political affairs of foreign countries, but shall not refrain from denouncing any situation of violation of human and democratic rights, wherever it happens.

ETUC statement on Myanmar’s coup endorsed by the Extraordinary Executive Committee at the meeting of 9 February 2021

Trade unions from across Europe (including the European Trade Union Confederation and unions in Ukraine) are urging the European Union to implement the commitments to social justice made under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, when the Association Council meets in Brussels today (Thursday). The meeting will focus on several areas including  political reforms, rule of law and security, economic cooperation and trade, as well as the EU immediate assistance to the country in view of the COVID19 challenge.

Adopted at the  Executive Committee Meeting of 9th February 2021 The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the European Commission’s intention to revise both Directive 98/24/EC, on the protection of the health and safety of workers from the risks related to chemical agents at work (Chemical Agents Directive or CAD), and Directive 2009/148/EC, on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work (Asbestos at Work Directive or AWD).

ETUC Code of Conduct for Meetings, Events and Courses Adopted during the Executive Committee meeting of 9-10 March 2020 Introduction The ETUC has zero tolerance for any violence and any type of harassment including sexual harassment. Violence and harassment in the world of work deprives people of their dignity, is incompatible with decent work. It is a threat to equality and equal opportunities and to safe, healthy, and productive working environments.

ETUC PRIORITIES FOR THE ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTING THE EUROPEAN PILLAR OF SOCIAL RIGHTS (full version available on the dedicated website https://est.etuc.org/socialpillar) GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Solidarity Letter sent to Bogdan Iuliu Hossu, President, CARTEL ALFA ETUC fully supports Cartel-Alfa in its actions to oppose Government austerity and to end wage poverty and pension inequality. ETUC strongly endorses Cartel-Alfa’s calls for social rights. It is unacceptable that the Government:

The ETUC welcomes the launch of a consultation, and debate, on responding to the impacts of an ageing society. ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr said “Ageing is not just a cost. Longer lives are a benefit and should be valued for the greater knowledge, experience and the potential benefits for family and community life.”

ETUC remembers and honours the victims of the Holocaust. We reaffirm our opposition to antisemitism, racism and all forms of intolerance that can lead to targeting people with violence. We reaffirm our total opposition to Nazism and Fascism. We recall that among its first victims were many trade unionists. We remember that the first Nazi concentration camps were built to imprison political opponents. We reiterate our opposition to misogyny and homophobia.

ETUC welcomes the European Parliament’s interest in the right to disconnect. It is an important right for the quality and dignity of life of working people. It is a right that European employers’ organisations refuse to recognise and are trying to block. The ETUC is calling on the S&D Group to withdraw the last-minute damaging amendment preventing legislative action on the right to disconnect for three years – which in reality means around eight years (given the length of the legislative process and coming-into-force period).

Brussels, 19 January 2021   Members of the European Parliament via email   Dear MEPs, Workers experience a lot difficulties securing the right to disconnect in reality and the ETUC and the ETUFs urge the Commission to come forth with a proposal for a Directive quickly. Tomorrow, Wednesday the 20th January, amendments to the report on the right to disconnect will be tabled.

Esther Lynch, Deputy General secretary ETUC Building Blocks for Equality between Men and Women at Work,  European Policy Perspectives   Colleagues, sisters and friends, I am honoured to be invited to be part of the annual Barbara Prammer symposium. Mrs Prammer, had a vision of feminism that was global in its scale and in its ambition and universal in its solidarity, dedicated to confronting some of the most pervasive structures of oppression.

Letters sent to Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Hungarian and Italian Ministers of Labour and Finance  Call to extend emergency measures to non-standard workers (including self-employed)   Dear Ministers, 

ETUC Position on a new EU framework on information, consultation and board-level representation for European company forms and for companies making use of EU company law instruments enabling company mobility Adopted at the Executive Committee of 9-10 December 2020

Statement adopted at the Executive Committee meeting on 09-10 December 2020 ETUC Revised Statement on the second Covid-19 wave: Emergency measures and Recovery Strategy

To mark International Migrants Day on 18 December, ETUC honours and thanks all workers, migrant and local, who continue to risk their lives to provide essential services and keep vital sections of the economy going through the COVID19 pandemic. 13% of key workers in essential jobs in the EU are migrants. Up to 1/3 domestic and care workers, & labourers in construction & mining, all key workers, are foreign born.

ETUC position on the European Central Bank Strategy Review Adopted at the virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 9-10 December 2020 Introduction In February 2020, the European Central Bank (ECB) launched its strategy review under the branding “ECB Listens”. Since then, many events took place, all consecutive and consequential to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy review is taking place throughout 2020, while the questionnaire related to the review was postponed once, with the deadline being the end of October 2020.

Dear Michel, I am contacting you to raise the concern of trade unions across Europe that with few days to the end of the transition period, agreement is still to be reached.  This uncertainty adds to the already destabilising employment situation due to the pandemic and the planned end of the support measures next year.