On October 16, 2023, the European Parliament’s lead committees, the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Committee on International Trade (INTA) adopted, with an overwhelming majority, their position on the proposed on the proposed EU Forced Labour Regulation.
The ETUC joined forces with civil society organisations to urge the EU Council to speed up negotiations to adopt a General Approach.
The letter outlines four core elements that must be included in the Council's position:
Break the chain of dependency and promote equal treatment of migrant workers
Joint statement on the revision of the Single Permit Directive
18 European networks and organisations, representing trade unions and NGOs, call on EU lawmakers not to trap migrant workers in exploitation, by ensuring a meaningful right to change employer, and to ensure full equal treatment, particularly in private rented housing.
Dear Minister,
We are contacting you to call for a further one year extension of the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact in order to give proper time to achieve a sustainable reform of economic governance that responds to the needs of people in Europe.
The Tripartite Social Summit took place on 25 October 2023. Interventions by Esther Lynch (ETUC), Enrico Somaglia (EFFAT) and Maxime Legrand (CEC) are attached. The text of Esther Lynch's intervention A Green Industrial Policy for a Great Jobs Economy follows:
President von der Leyen, President Michel, Prime Minister Sanchez, Vice-President, Commissioner, Vice-President, Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State, colleagues,
The ETUC expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack in Brussels.
The ETUC also stands in solidarity with our Swedish affiliates LO, TCO and SACO, and with Sweden's football supporters who were visiting Brussels for the match against Belgium.
After darkness we hope for light.
ETUC Position on Economic Security Strategy and the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)
Adopted at the Executive Committee Meeting of 27-28 September 2023
The ETUC joins the ITUC in strongly condemning the attacks on civilians. We are gravely concerned at the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, following the attacks launched against Israel from Gaza. There is no justification for the killing of civilians on any side.
Unions are united in calling for all acts of violence to end immediately and for all civilians to be released immediately, unconditionally, and unharmed. The ETUC extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
Trade unions strive towards a Europe in which working conditions and pay allow people to live in dignity. On World Day for Decent Work, the ETUC highlights three urgent measures to ensure no worker is left behind: strengthening collective bargaining, enforcing the rights of people working through online platforms and requiring all internships to be paid.
Europe needs a pay rise
Adopted at the Executive Committee Meeting of 27-28 September 2023
In its legislative-initiative resolution[1]adopted by a large majority on 2 February 2023, the European Parliament called on the Commission to revise the European Works Council Directive[2] with the aim of strengthening European Works Councils (EWCs) and their ability to exercise their right to information and consultation.
The ETUC stands with teachers and their European trade union federation, the ETUCE, for the European Week of Teachers. The week of action aims to raise policy solutions in their 10 key demands to make teaching more attractive.
ETUC position on the response to the Social Partner Consultation on CMRD6
Adopted at the Executive Committee of 27-28 September 2023
Introduction
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the European Commission’s intention to revise the Directive on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substances at work (CMRD or Directive 2004/37/EC).
Yolanda Diaz, Second Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Labour and the Social Economy, addressed the ETUC Executive Committee on 28 September in Madrid.
Please find the text of the address (in Spanish) in the link.
Solidarity letter sent by the ETUC to trade unions in Northern Ireland
I am writing to express the ETUC’s solidarity with the workers taking a courageous stand in Northern Ireland. The wave of coordinated collective action by ICTU unions, initiated on 21 September 2023 and culminating in a strike rally in front of Belfast City Hall on 22 September, underscores the collective determination of working people to secure fair wages, improved working conditions, and a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
Following the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the island of Lampedusa on 17 September, the ETUC reiterates the urgent need for a fair and humane European asylum and migration policy, in line with international and EU legal obligations and in full respect of fundamental rights.
The European Commission recently published its long-awaited BEFIT (Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation) proposal for the taxation of large multinational companies.
It follows a long-term effort to introduce group taxation with a formula for allocating taxable profits where value is created (in terms of payroll, number of employees, assets). This was the intended objective of the CCTB and CCCTB proposals, which have now been withdrawn from the European agenda.
ETUC and its federations: European Transport Workers’ Federation, Uni Europa, IndustriAll and the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions call on policymakers to adopt a strong Directive on platform work that would end the exploitation of vulnerable workers and re-establish fair competition in a quickly developing platform economy.
Together with civil society and trade union organisations, the ETUC has outlined essential conditions to address forced labour. These have been listed in a letter sent on Wednesday 13 September 2023 to the MEPs who sit on the European Parliament's Committees on Internal Market and the International Trade Committees. Please find the text of the letter below:
CFDT, FO, CFTC UNSA and DGB with the support of the ETUC call for a ban on deregulation for SMES
Deregulation: no - Simplification: under strict conditions
The Franco-German Initiative on the relief package for SMEs is disguised deregulation: SMEs fall in a legal no man’s land; Business cannot be above the law
Dear colleagues,
It is with deep sadness that we have learned the terrible news of the earthquake in Morocco which - according to the information available to us at present - has caused the death of more than a thousand people, with a further thousand injured.
The European Trade Union Confederation, with its 45 million members from 93 organisations in 41 countries, wishes to express its deepest solidarity with you, your members, their families and, beyond that, with all workers and people in Morocco.
We will be organising a solidarity visit as soon as possible.
Esther Lynch, ETUC General Secretary, has written to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market calling for an urgent meeting on the upcoming “SME relief package”. The text of the letter:
Dear Vice-President Vestager,
Dear Commissioner Breton,
We are contacting you to ask for an urgent meeting on the upcoming “SME relief package” for small- and medium-sized companies, that we understand will be published next week by the European Commission.
Chère Sophie,
La Confédération européenne des syndicats, qui représente plus de 45 millions de travailleurs en Europe, tient à exprimer son soutien et sa solidarité à la CGT et à Sébastien Menesplier, Secrétaire général de la Fédération nationale des mines et de l'énergie CGT.
Nous sommes choqués que Sébastien Menesplier ait été convoqué par la gendarmerie de Montmorency pour les actions menées par les électriciens et gaziers pour protester contre la réforme néfaste du système de retraite français.
Madame la Première Ministre de France, Madame Borne,
La Confédération européenne des syndicats représente plus de 90 organisations syndicales nationales - ainsi que dix fédérations syndicales européennes - regroupant plus de 45 millions de travailleurs à travers l'Europe.
Je vous contacte pour vous faire part de l'inquiétude de la Confédération européenne des syndicats face aux développements en France qui vont manifestement pénaliser l'action syndicale en général.
Dear Commissioner Vestager,
We are writing to you to express our deep concern regarding comments made by Pierre Régibeau, the outgoing Chief Competition Economist DG Competition, with regard to European industry and to seek clarification regarding the Commission’s commitment to the future of European foundation industries and their highly-skilled workforce.
