To be checked against delivery
Welcome at the EP premises, colleagues. This is really good to see you and to see you here; Thanks for having replied so numerous to our call.
We are in the EP, at the heart of the EU democratic decision-making process.
This is a 1ere for most of you!
This is a one of the goals we had to bring you as close as possible to EU democracy… so that you make your voice heard, the voice of EWC members, of unionists, of workers rep. as constituencies of businesses.
Why?
Because we are at a decisive moment in time where the EP will decide on significant improvements for two reasons at least:
The first decision to take for MEPs is to strengthen the EWC in their daily work and to make their rights effective: information and consultation of EWC are key democratic features in the European Union and should be the conditions for any multinational business to operate in Europe and to do business in Europe. for the moment it doesn’t. The EP report to be voted by the end of this year has to deliver for more and better rights for EWCs; it has to guarantee proper enforcement and deterrent sanctions for any violation of a the right of information and consultation.
The 2nd decision to take for MEPs is to impulse and shape an EU law on mandatory human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct, where unions should have a say, where worker representatives including EWC should get information and be consulted on any business due diligence plan or strategy. Let me just quote the Directive:
information and consultation should be carried out in such fashion and with such content and within a reasonable time to enable employees’ representatives to express an opinion’
so that EWC can represent collectively the interests of the employees of the Community-scale undertaking or Community-scale group of undertakings
in particular to the situation and probable trend of employment, investments, and substantial changes concerning organisation, introduction of new working methods or production processes, transfers of production, mergers, cutbacks or closures of undertakings, establishments or important parts thereof, and collective redundancies.
Why it is so important?
Because workers matter and cannot be reduced to commodities. Labour is not a commodity. this is a universal principle the EU should translate into concrete effective means for unions and EWC to defend and protect workers and prevent unions and workers’ rights violations by business, where they operate in the EU or abroad, in their premises or in the supply chains.
Petition to sign online
We are mobilised today to bring our 2 strong messages to the MEP, and we are much honoured that Iratxe Garcia Perez, the President of the S&D Group has accepted our invitation to open this conference
Thanks a lot, Iratxe for your kind and encouraging words