As part of the EU Social Dialogue programme, European social partners have undertaken separate projects on apprenticeships focusing on the cost-effectiveness of apprenticeship schemes (employers) and a European quality framework for apprenticeships (trade unions). The project outcomes were presented in a joint conference on 26-27 May in Brussels.

Dear Readers, We have just published the May 2016 edition of the ETUC Newsletter. To read the document, please click here. Enjoy!

As the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation starts this week in Geneva, the ITUC and the European Trade Union Confederation are calling on governments to support the right to safe haven and work for all refugees, as the world faces the greatest flow of refugees in 70 years.

The world faces the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War but it is the richest Governments who have forgotten their history. More than 60 million people are fleeing from war, terror or abject poverty.  

The Competitiveness Council on 26-27 May 2016 will discuss adopting an "innovation principle" for EU law-making. This would require the Commission to investigate the potential effect of legislation on research and innovation, during the “impact assessment" phase of the legislative process, before it is submitted to the Parliament and Council for democratic debate. This harmless-sounding clause has been strongly lobbied for by several corporate-led organisations.

The launch of the European Commission’s ‘Undeclared Work Platform’ on Friday 27 May is a long overdue initiative to tackle the exploitation of workers and unfair competition for law-abiding employers says the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).  It is estimated that up to 20% of Europe’s GDP is in the ‘shadow economy’, and  11% of Europeans say they purchased goods or services involving undeclared work last year (in 2013).

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) strongly reject the granting of Market Economy (MES) to China.

Dear Readers,

Commenting on today’s ‘economic package’ and ‘country specific recommendations’ from the European Commission, Veronica Nilsson, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said “The ETUC is encouraged by the slightly more flexible approach on budget deficits, by the greater emphasis on education and training, employment and fairer taxation than in previous years. It’s good that there are no new fines for excessive budgets although Portugal and Spain face new evaluations already in July.

The European Trade Union Confederation has written to the European Commission demanding that it •           rejects the arguments against the revision of the posting of workers directive in the ‘yellow card’ from some Member States;  •           allows a democratic debate without delay on the existing proposal through the normal EU legislative procedure with governments and the European Parliament.

Trade unions in Europe and Latin America have united in demanding real benefits for working people in any future Bi-Regional Association Agreement between the EU and Mercosur. This week, the two blocs will start negotiations on opening market access to each other’s goods, services, investments and public tenders. Earlier talks were halted in 2012 due to disagreements.

On Friday, the European Commission is expected to announce ‘binding occupational exposure limits’ for 13 cancer-causing substances. “This is important news for the health of workers across Europe,” said Esther Lynch, ETUC Confederal Secretary, “and a hard-won victory for workers and their trade unions.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is demanding EU-level standards to boost workers’ representation on company boards.