The economic forecast published today by the European Commission shows the need for Europe to start supporting investment and fair pay. 

A directive aimed at ending stress at work must be a priority for the next European Commission if it is serious about improving mental health in Europe. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is making the call for legislation on psychosocial risks in the workplace during European Mental Health Week. 

The ETUC is gravely concerned with the extraordinary growth in the number of wars and violent conflicts and with the current state of peace and security in Europe and the world. The EU must prioritise the use of the wide range of diplomatic, trade and conflict resolution tools at its disposal. We call for a redoubling of efforts for peace.

On World Press Freedom Day, the ETUC and the EFJ stand in solidarity with journalists and media workers everywhere and reaffirm our commitment to defending press freedom across Europe. 

Dear colleagues, I am happy to contact you on the eve of the 2024 International Workers’ Day – in a crucial time for workers and their trade unions.  This is the first International Workers’ Day since the Berlin Congress and celebration of the 50 years of the ETUC in and since our common demand for a fair deal for workers. 

This International Workers’ Day, all eyes are on Europe. As we celebrate the bonds of friendship between workers and the collective power we have through our trade unions we also look ahead to the EU elections.

The number of people dying at work due to extreme heat is increasing faster in the European Union than any other part of the world, new data shows ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day. According to estimates provided to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 80,800 people suffered injuries at work due to heat exposure in 2020 and 67 people died as a result of working in extreme heat. 

Today marks a historic day for workers' rights and corporate accountability as the European Parliament adopts the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. This directive is a historic breakthrough, heralding a new era of accountability and liability for businesses operating within the EU. The milestones include:

In a historic move, the European Parliament has today adopted the Platform Work Directive, a major victory for millions of people working through digital platforms. This directive ensures that they will finally obtain minimum wages, sick pay, and other essential employment safeguards. Key Provisions:

Politicians who have supported strict new spending rules must have the courage to tax wealthy corporations making record profits – and not make struggling workers pay through new austerity measures. The European Parliament today voted in favour of fiscal rules which mean that member states will need to cut their budgets by over 100 billion Euro a year from 2027 or raise the equivalent amount through tax.

Open letter of Belgian, French, Italian and Spanish trade unions to MEPs ahead of the vote of the fiscal rules on Tuesday 23 April, 2024The new fiscal rules will make the necessary transformation of our societies impossible, leaving workers and citizens behind at a time when they need protection more than ever.

Reacting to Letta’s much-anticipated report, the ETUC warns against attempts to apply ‘over-transposition’ arguments to employment directives. The generalised criticism of ‘gold-plating’, i.e. the ability of governments to go above and beyond in the transposition of EU directives, should not be applied to employment directives as it risks limiting the ability of national governments and social partners to lift labour standards at national level. 

Poverty, public services and jobs are the issues that citizens want to see prioritised during the European election campaign, the new Eurobarometer shows. The European Parliament’s poll of 26,000 citizens asked: “Which of the following topics should be discussed as a matter of priority during the electoral campaign for the next European Parliament elections?” The top three responses were: - The fight against poverty and social exclusion – 33%- Public health – 32%

The future of the European Union should be built on social progress – including quality jobs and fair pay and conditions – and not lower standards, it has been agreed today at the La Hulpe summit organised by the Belgian presidency. The declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights - signed by the ETUC, the EU institutions, the European Economic and Social Committee, business groups SME United and SGIEurope, and Social Platform – states: 

La Hulpe, 16 April 2024   High-Level Conference on the European Pillar of Social Rights Intervention of Esther Lynch, ETUC General Secretary La Hulpe : A project of hope  [Check against delivery]   Dear Presidents, Dear Deputy Prime Ministers,  Dear Commissioner, 

The results of the newly released EU poll on social Europe show why the European Parliament should reject proposed fiscal rules that would reimpose austerity. The Eurobarometer released today shows nine in ten European citizens say a social Europe is of personal importance to them, with wages and healthcare featuring high among their priorities. 

Responding to the decision to maintain interest rates at record high levels, ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch said: “High interest rates mean ordinary people are paying for an inflation crisis fueled by corporate profiteering.“The policy is designed to penalise workers whose purchasing power declined significantly during the recent inflation surge and which are only beginning to catch up now.

Responding to the vote on the migration and asylum pact, ETUC Confederal Secretary Giulio Romani said:“The people saying this deal will ‘increase solidarity’ can’t know the meaning of the word.“It will see more people fleeing wars, extreme poverty and, increasingly, climate disasters, being treated as prisoners. “And it will inevitably lead to an increase in abuses of fundamental rights, illegal pushbacks, and returns to unsafe countries. 

The majority of EU member states will not be able to meet their targets for investment in schools, hospitals and housing under plans for new economic governance rules, a study for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has found.  

The employment committee of the European Parliament today voted in favour of upholding workers' rights and social dialogue in multinational companies. The report by MEP Dennis Radtke (EPP) on amendments to the European Works Council (EWC) Directive was adopted by an overwhelming majority (28 in favour/ 7 against/ 8 abstentions). 

Reacting to the European Council Conclusions, published today, on security and defence, the ETUC calls for a redoubling of efforts for peace. The ETUC is deeply concerned with the current state of peace and security in Europe and the world, along with the extraordinary growth in the number of wars and violent conflicts.

The living standards of European workers have still not recovered from the cost-of-living crisis, a major new trade union report on the state of the European economy has found.The real compensation of workers in the EU, which represents pay after inflation is taken into account, fell by 0.7% in 2023, according to Benchmarking Working Europe 2024, the European Trade Union Institute’s flagship annual report. 

Brussels, 20 March 2024 [Check against delivery]   There can be no doubt about the need for action. 

Young workers need certainty that the Directive on Traineeships, proposed today by the European Commission, will effectively ban unpaid internships.  The European Parliament has voted a number of times for unpaid traineeships to be banned – trade unions now call on Members of the European Parliament to ensure that measure is included in the final directive.

The increasingly rapid de-industrialisation of Europe is laid bare by new trade union research which finds almost a million manufacturing jobs have been lost over the last four years.   An analysis of Eurostat data by the European Trade Union Institute has found that the number of people employed in manufacturing has fallen by 853,000 since the third quarter of 2019.