Tomorrow - 1 December – at the EU Competitiveness Council, Ministers will try to reach a general approach to the directive on corporate sustainability due diligence (CSDD), which introduces an obligation on companies to identify and prevent, end or mitigate the impact of their activities on human rights, including trade union and workers’ rights, and the environment.
The European Parliament's Employment Committee today adopted by a large majority MEP Dennis Radtke's (EPP) legislative initiative report on the revision of the European Works Council Directive.
MEPs call on the European Commission to improve the Directive on Works Councils to:
Bosses should be prevented from discriminating against victims of revenge porn and other forms of online sexual harassment at work as part of the EU directive on combating violence against women.
The European Trade Union Confederation is making the call on the international day for the elimination of violence against women amid growing evidence employers are discriminating against victims of image-based sexual harassment.
Commenting on the European Commission’s Autumn Economic Semester, ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr said:
“The Commission is absolutely right to say wages need to be raised and collective bargaining strengthened in order to protect purchasing power during the cost of living crisis. The evidence is that there is no ‘secondary effect’ on inflation from wages.
Commenting on the outcome of COP 27 in Egypt, ETUC’s Ludovic Voet said
“The outcome of COP27 is disappointing because the results are not up to the scale of the problem facing us.
“The setting up of a fund for loss and damage, and the acknowledgement of the need for a socially just transition to a carbon-neutral economy through social dialogue, are steps forward for coping with climate change and rebuilding international trust in the fight against climate change. The achievements are the trees that hide the wood of climate inaction.
The ETUC is deeply shocked by the cowardly bomb attack, perpetrated in Istanbul on Sunday 13 November, which killed 6 people and injured 81 others. The ETUC has always strongly condemned terrorist attacks of any kind.
The European trade unions present their deepest condolences to all those affected by the bombing. Those responsible must be brought to justice; an independent, transparent and effective investigation should take place for the 47 arrested people.
As the ‘European Year of Youth’ draws to a close without delivering any concrete action, young trade unionists today protested at the European Parliament for a ban on unpaid internships.
The ETUC used a wheel of fortune to show how lucky – or in most cases privileged - young people have to be to land a quality internship.
Banners reading ‘motivation doesn’t run on an empty stomach’ and ‘can you afford to work for free?’ were present at the demonstration which was also supported by the European Youth Forum.
Responding to the review of the EU’s economic governance, ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr said:
“Some of the proposed changes go in the right direction but still do not match the scale of the challenges facing Europe’s economy. While offering more national ownership and fiscal adjustment paths for Member States in a more flexible way, there is no real reform of the deeply divisive Growth and Stability Pact.
Aviation workers and safety experts are calling on airlines, manufacturers and the EU Aviation Safety Agency to immediately implement new cabin air quality standards designed to protect staff and passengers from chemical fumes.
After more than seven years of work on the issue, the European Committee on Standardisation (CEN) has published a technical report including recommendations on how to prevent exposure to fumes through improvements in the design, maintenance, and operation of aircraft.
Despite all the attempts to stop the people of Brazil voting freely, democracy and social progress have won over the far-right, neo-fascist, authoritarian and violently populist policies of the previous President.
Social justice and protection of human rights, a new and fairer global economic model, climate and digital just transitions, decent work and an end to precariousness, accessible and adequate social protection for all: this is what the election of Lula will bring to Brazil, Latin America and the rest of the world.
The ETUC calls for the immediate release of Professor Korur-Fincancı Şebnem, President Turkish Medical Association.
Professor Korur-Fincancı Şebnem was arrested on 26 October and imprisoned on 27 October under Article 7§2 of the Anti-Terror Law of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "publicly degrading the Turkish Nation, the state of the Republic of Türkiye and its institutions" because of her comments in the media about the allegations that Türkiye used chemical gases during its military operations in Iraq and for which she called for an independent investigation.
Deaths at work will continue to blight Europe for almost a decade longer than previously forecast after a rise in fatal accidents in almost half of member states, new trade union research reveals.
The ETUC is proud to welcome into its family the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU), the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) and the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM).
“The future of Ukraine and Moldova is in the European Union” said Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary, “and the trade unions of Ukraine and Moldova need the support and solidarity of the ETUC to defend the rights of workers in these difficult and dangerous times, and to assist in ensuring that the interests of working people are represented she accession process.
A majority of EU member states are failing to support health and safety at work as a fundamental and international right – despite voting for it to become one.
In June, the ILO agreed to make two Health and Safety Conventions (155 and 187) into core conventions – making them a fundamental right. European countries, along with those in Africa, were the driving force behind this change and voted in favour of it.
Commenting on the conclusions of the European Council, ETUC General Secretary Visentini said:
“The Council made some progress in addresing the energy and cost-of-living crisis, although we see for the moment mainly declarations in principle and very few timid concrete measures.
“We appreciate the fact that the Council considers an energy price cap mechanism and some kind of reform of the energy prices market, but what is announced is incomplete and insufficient.
Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment - 19 October 2022
Tackling the energy crisis and the cost of living crisis: How to protect the economy, businesses and workers
Opening speech of Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary
[Check against delivery]
Esteemed authorities, Colleagues of the Social Partners,
It’s a great pleasure to meet all of you in person, after more than two years of meetings online.
A ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) today ensures that workers’ participation continues to apply without restriction at the software company SAP SE. Beyond the individual case, the Luxembourg judges have sent a signal for the representation of workers' interests on the supervisory boards of European public limited companies. The German co-determination law foresees seats for trade union representatives on the supervisory board. SAP SE wanted to exclude these secured seats for trade union representatives while converting into the European company form SE.
Real wages are falling while real profits continue to grow in half of EU member states, new ETUC research on the cost-of-living crisis shows.
Real wages, which indicates pay after inflation is taken into account, have fallen in every EU member state this year by as much as 9%.
At the same time, corporate profits are rising in real terms in 13 member states, with increases of up to 6.5% compared to last year.
Across the EU, real profits are up by 1% while real wages are down by 2.5%.
Workers from across Europe have laid bare their daily struggle to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis, telling of their difficulties in affording food, clothing and heating.
Nancy, a cleaner from Belgium, explained how many basic food items have become unaffordable, while Javier, an agricultural worker from Spain, said he no longer has enough money to buy clothes and Victor, a policeman from Romania, said his energy bill could soon be worth around half of his salary.
The European Trade Union Confederation, the French trade unions and several trade union federations and confederations will join forces in Strasbourg today to protest about the cost-of-living crisis and call for decisive action from the EU and national governments.
A demonstration will take place outside the Parliament at 13.00 and will be followed by a meeting with MEPs inside the European Parliament at 17.15 in which trade union leaders and workers will set out:
The directive on minimum wages and collective bargaining has today received its final approval after a two-year legislative process and a long campaign by trade unions.
Member states must now take action to ensure that they have laws and practices in place in time to meet the two-year deadline for transposition of the Directive following its formal adoption by the Council of the EU’s meeting of finance ministers this morning.
The ETUC is calling on Members States to immediately follow the example in Germany by raising wages.
Millions of older people are being plunged deeper into fuel poverty by a collapse in the real value of state pensions, an analysis for the ETUC has found on the UN’s international day for older persons.
