Responding to the relaunch of the review of EU economic governance, ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr said: “The EU’s fiscal rules failed in the past, have been abandoned in the present and are unfit for the future. This review is an important step towards a Europe that puts the people and planet before arbitrary and self-defeating debt targets. 

Responding to vote in the European Parliament on the Villumsen report

Roma, 16 ottobre 2021 È un grandissimo onore per me, un italiano alla guida del sindacato europeo, esprimere a questa piazza straordinaria il sostegno di tutte le lavoratrici e i lavoratori d’Europa. Oggi e durante questi ultimi giorni, tante manifestazioni di solidarietà si stanno svolgendo e si sono svolte in molte capitali europee. Il movimento sindacale d’Europa è unito contro il vile attacco fascista che ha colpito la CGIL e tutto il sindacato italiano.

Dear Maurizio, I would like to express to you the most sincere solidarity and full support of the European Trade Union Confederation for the shameful attack by right-wing extremists and No-Vax on the headquarters of the national CGIL yesterday. As you rightly reminded us, trade unions, in Italy, in Europe and in the world, have always been the defenders of democracy, and it is no coincidence that the fascist and violent instrumentalisation of the anti-vaccine protests is directed against the trade union movement and CGIL in particular.

Commenting on the global tax deal involving 136 countries including all OECD and G20 countries for a 15% minimum corporate tax rate and taxing rights on USD 125 billion of profit , ETUC’s Liina Carr commented

The ETUC is calling on EU Finance Ministers to overturn their decision in 2017 not to define as tax havens, and not to impose sanctions on, countries that fail to disclose who owns companies registered in their country. “EU Finance Ministers should do far more to reveal who is hiding money in tax havens” said Liina Carr, ETUC Confederal Secretary “instead of taking countries off the list of tax havens.”

Leading officials of the European trade union federations EFFAT, EPSU, IndustriAll Europe and UNI Europa as well as the ETUC met with the cabinet of European Commissioner Thierry Breton (Internal Market) on Thursday September 30th. The purpose was to present the trade unions' concerns regarding the announced initiatives on Sustainable Corporate Governance and mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence.     

Dear Readers, We have just published the September 2021 edition of the ETUC newsletter. To read the document, please click here. Enjoy!

The European Commission today presented its Communication on the application of the Employers’ Sanctions Directive together with renewed Action Plan on smuggling and report on developments on the Pact on Migration and Asylum. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) welcome the publication of the evaluation of the Employers’ Sanctions Directive, which was long overdue, but remain extremely critical of the overall approach to addressing irregular migration.

Dear readers, The shock-waves from the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felt by workers across Europe. In this autumn edition, our National Updates illustrate how workplace organisation is changing and adapting, and trade unions and their members are learning the lessons from the lockdown in order to improve health and safety and make conditions more work-life friendly through shorter or more flexible working time, teleworking and hybrid systems.

Victory in the German elections for a party pledging a 12 Euro minimum wage is a major boost to the campaign to end poverty pay across Europe by improving the EU’s directive on minimum wages. Germany is currently among the two thirds of EU member states where the minimum wage is set below the EU’s at risk of poverty threshold (60% of the national median wage) as well as below 50% of the average wage. At 9.60 Euro an hour, it is just 48% of the median wage and 43% of the average wage in Germany.

Low wages mean almost three million people can’t afford to heat their homes despite being in work, an analysis of EU data for the ETUC has found as energy prices rocket across Europe.   On the first day of autumn and with winter looming, 15% of Europe’s working poor won’t be able to turn on the heating – equivalent to 2,713,578 people across Europe.

Commenting on the European Commission recommendation on the safety of journalists, ETUC’s Liina Carr commented: “The ETUC supports any action to ensure the safety of journalists. It is clear that no journalist, and indeed no worker, should die or be harmed for doing their job.   “The European Commission rightly highlights the importance of the safety of journalists for democracy and media freedom, as well for the health and safety of workers who are under increasing threat in Europe.