Joint European Trade Union Statement on the Omnibus Proposal: A Direct Attack on Workers’ Rights and Corporate Accountability

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), the IndustriAll European Trade Union, the European Public Services Union (EPSU) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) strongly condemn the European Commission’s Omnibus proposal, which constitutes a direct assault on corporate accountability, workers’ and trade union rights, and environmental protections. The European Parliament must reject this disastrous package and ensure that the core objectives of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as well as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) and the protections provided therein are safeguarded from this deregulation agenda.

The Omnibus proposal, if enacted, would dismantle key provisions and objectives of the CS3D, making it effectively toothless. It delays implementation and application, weakens enforcement, strips away civil liability protections, and limits corporate responsibility to direct business partners—leaving countless workers, trade unions, communities, and ecosystems vulnerable to unchecked adverse impact of corporate operations.

The Omnibus: A Gift to Corporate Lobbyists at the Expense of Workers and the Planet

Under the guise of "simplification," this proposal is nothing short of a betrayal of the EU’s commitments to sustainable business practices, human rights, and climate action. We strongly oppose:

• The one-year delay in the CS3D transposition and application deadlines—a blatant stalling tactic that will allow businesses to evade accountability even longer; in addition further limits the scope of the review process by excluding financial services..
• The gutting of civil liability provisions—leaving it up to Member States’ discretion (thereby risking “forum/court shopping” by companies)  and drastically reducing access to justice for victims (and their trade union representatives) of corporate abuse.
• The narrowing of corporate due diligence obligations to direct business partners only—which will allow multinational corporations to continue labour exploitation, and in particular union busting practices, to harm the environmental, and to exploit their supply chains without consequences.
• The further reduction of stakeholder engagement obligations—effectively silencing trade unions, NGOs, and affected communities throughout the whole due diligence processes including in the supply chains.
• The elimination of minimum sanction levels—triggering a dangerous race to the bottom among Member States, where corporate penalties become purely symbolic.
• The removal of the obligation to implement Climate Transition Plans—turning what should be a binding requirement into a meaningless box-ticking exercise.

A Regressive and Undemocratic Process

The Commission has pushed this omnibus package  through in an opaque and undemocratic way, creating a new set of rules for lawmaking at short notice that does not comply with its own Better Regulation rules. No impact assessment has been conducted, and an unusual and arbitrary “consultation” process has been disproportionately biased in favour of business stakeholders, while trade unions and civil society have been marginalised. The Commission's U-turn on human rights and its legislative changes are putting business and profit before worker and planet, reducing existing protections for people and the environment, and putting specific business interests before the general interest.

The European Commission's blatant disregard for due process, transparency, and democratic consultation reveals its true priorities: bowing to corporate pressure while sidelining workers and environmental protections. This backroom deal-making undermines the credibility of EU law-making and sets a dangerous precedent. 

We call on the European Commission to immediately withdraw the Omnibus proposal and engage in a proper, inclusive consultation process to develop a common approach for streamlining reporting standards. There is room for genuine simplification, but not for deregulation.

Trade Union Demands: Withdraw the Omnibus Now!

The European Parliament must take decisive action to prevent this attack on corporate accountability and workers' rights. We urge MEPs to:

1. Vote against the Omnibus proposal and block any attempt to weaken the CS3D and CSRD, including any attempt to delay its implementation.
2. Demand the full implementation of the CS3D as adopted, with no backtracking on corporate accountability.
3. Ensure that human rights and environmental protections remain non-negotiable in the EU’s sustainability framework.
4. Reject any further attempts at deregulation that undermine European workers’ rights and social protections.
5. Call on the European Commission to issue the transposition guidance and other support measures according to the CS3D.

The European Union must not become a playground for corporate interests at the expense of fundamental rights and the rule of law. This is a defining moment for the European Parliament: Will MEPs stand with workers, trade unions, and civil society? Or will they cave to corporate pressure and rubber-stamp a rollback of progress?

Europe’s reputation as a global leader in human rights, sustainability and fair competition is at stake. The time to act is now.