The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes the progress made by EU Employment Ministers today towards adopting the ‘Work Life Balance’ and the ‘Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions’ Directives. Ministers meeting today in the Employment Council agreed a ‘general approach’ on both Directives – enabling discussions in ‘trilogue’ as soon as the European Parliament adopts its position. “Today the EU has taken a small step towards making the lives of working people across Europe a little better” said Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary.

A new group has been set up to encourage Governments and EU institutions to fully implement the European Pillar of Social Rights. The group ‘Stand Up for the Social Pillar’ brings together social economy enterprises and organisations including cooperatives active in industry and services, trade unions, pro-European organisations and social NGOs, and has as its mission to

ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini has written to all Employment Ministers urging them not to dilute the Commission proposals and “adopt a meaningful general approach” on the 2 Directives up for discussion at the EPSCO Council on Thursday. The letter states that the Directives on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions and Work Life Balance are both “crucial to working people across Europe and their trade unions.”

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) condemns the violation of human rights and international law by the Italian Government, welcomes the humanity of the Spanish Government and criticises the lack of action by the European Union and its member states over the sorry saga of the rescue ship Acquarius and its 629 people on board.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) will oppose a potential double cut in European Social Fund (ESF) spending in the EU budget  2021-2027. The European Commission’s ESF proposals published today, its Cohesion Policy proposals published yesterday and the overall EU budget 2021-2027 proposals, include

Commenting on the outcome today of the European Parliament vote on posted workers, Liina Carr, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), saluting a victory for Europe’s posted workers, said: “Justice at last for posted workers. “With the YES vote, the ETUC is very pleased that posted workers now have the prospect of equal pay. “Even if the final deal includes important compromises such as the exclusion of transport workers, it guarantees at least the same pay for the same work in the same place.