Workers could have covered the cost of Christmas with a little left over for the new year if wages had kept pace with productivity growth over the last two years, research for the ETUC has found. European workers would have collectively received 116 billion Euro more since 2019 if productivity increases had been translated into commensurately higher wages as is meant to be the case.

Trade unions are calling on EU governments to support long overdue improvements to social security coordination needed to protect the rights of some of Europe’s most vulnerable workers. After 17 rounds of negotiations between the European Parliament and the European Council, an agreement on a revision of the EU regulation on the coordination of social security systems was finally found last Thursday. The agreement would ensure improvements on the following issues:

Commenting on Council conclusions on ‘external aspects of migration’ – which follow conclusions on ‘security and defence’ – Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary said

The European Council and European Parliament have

With a strong cross-party majority of almost 70%, the European Parliament has adopted the Bischoff report on Democracy at Work this morning.

Context – The European Commission today published its proposal for a Council Recommendation aiming at ensuring that the Union’s transition towards a climate-neutral and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050 is fair and leaves nobody behind, in line with the European pillar of Social Rights. The proposal invites Member States to adopt and implement comprehensive and coherent policy packages to address the employment and social aspects to promote a fair transition.

Dear readers, Against the backdrop of post-Covid shortages of both skilled and unskilled workers around Europe – from Croatia to Sweden - trade unions and employers in many countries are taking steps to equip workers for digital and environmentally sustainable workplaces. In this edition of National Updates we look at some of these initiatives, as well as steps to ease labour market access for older and younger workers.

The European Commission’s Action Plan to boost the social economy to be an useful initiative for a under-appreciated and often-neglected sector says the ETUC. Liina Carr, ETUC Confederal Secretary said “The social economy accounts for 10% of the EU’s GDP and includes many cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, not for profit organisations as well as enterprises.

Commenting on the European Commission consultation on draft guidelines on EU competition law and collective agreements of solo self-employed people, Isabelle Schömann, ETUC Confederal Secretary said  “Collective agreements should be fully excluded from antitrust control, regardless of whether they protect employees, self-employed or other non-standard workers, including workers on digital labour platforms.

Responding to the European Commission’s proposal for a directive on working conditions in platform work, ETUC Confederal Secretary Ludovic Voet said: “For too long platform companies have made huge profits by dodging their most basic obligations as employers at the expense of workers, responsible employers and underfunded public services. The free ride for Uber, Deliveroo and Amazon and their cronies is finally coming to an end.

Delivery riders, taxi drivers and online workers are among millions of workers who could benefit from secure contracts, minimum wages and paid holiday under Commission proposals to end fake self-employment. Until now, platform companies have exploited legal loopholes to maximise their profits by categorising all workers as self-employed. Individual workers and their unions have had to take companies to court to prove their status as employees but platforms continued to deny basic legal rights.

The gap in earnings between the richest and poorest Europeans grew in a majority of EU countries over the last decade, according to a new report which underlines the need for EU action to end poverty pay. The ‘unequal Europe’ report released today by the ETUC and its ETUI research institute shows wage inequality increased in 14 member states between 2010 and 2019, most notably in Hungary, Spain and Belgium.

Commenting on reports that the European Commission is to allow me