• 04.03.2021 Press release

    Action plan to bring a socially fairer Europe

    Social Rights
    Responding to the European Commission’s action plan on implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Effective Active Support for Employment, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said: “The time for a socially fairer Europe has come. This action plan could make it a reality. “The need for a more social Europe has never been stronger. The Covid crisis has exposed the problems with a Europe built on insecure work, low wages and badly funded public services.
  • 03.03.2021 Press release

    Austerity escape clause suspension extended

    Austerity
    Commenting on the European Commission’s proposal to extend the ‘escape clause’ from the Stability and Growth Pact, European Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Luca Visentini said:
  • 25.02.2021 Press release

    EU pay transparency directive: Commission leaks reveal battle over equal pay

    Equal Pay protest
    The European Commission is finally set to present its pay transparency directive on 4 March – 460 days after President von der Leyen took office on a pledge to deliver it “within 100 days.” But now ETUC’s hopes for progress on reducing the gender pay gap are being undermined by conflict in the European Commission’s policymaking with what seems to be THREE different versions of the draft Directive being leaked.  
  • 24.02.2021 Press release

    Climate change adaptation strategy fails to protect workers

    climate adaptation
    The European Commission published today its new Adaptation Strategy designed to increase the resilience of the EU against climate change consequences.   While the European Trade Union Confederation strongly welcomes the idea of developing a new EU Adaptation Strategy, we regret to see that the one proposed by the Commission today fails to protect European workers against climate change consequences.
  • 23.02.2021 Press release

    EU can’t let platforms with illegal practices re-write laws

    Cover
    The ETUC is calling on the European Commission to face down cynical new efforts by platform companies to avoid their most basic obligations to their workers. The Commission will tomorrow launch a consultation on improving the working conditions in platform companies like Uber, Deliveroo or Glovo.
  • 18.02.2021 Press release

    24m could get pay rise under EU directive

    Pay rise
    More than 24 million workers on low wages in the EU would receive a much-needed pay rise if trade union proposals for the EU’s draft Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages are accepted. The European Trade Union Confederation is pushing for a ‘threshold of decency’ to be included in the legislation that would ensure statutory minimum wages could never be paid at less than 60% of the median wage and 50% of the average wage in the Member State.
  • 17.02.2021 Press release

    Statement on Covid vaccines: people must come before profit

    Cover
    In light of recent complications with the Covid-19 vaccines roll out, the ETUC believes that a higher degree of democratic control is needed over the process and that people must come before profit. While unions fully support the principle of European coordination on vaccines as a means of avoiding vaccine nationalism, the process so far has been blighted by a lack of transparency in procurement and unexplained delays in production which have cost lives and livelihoods. 
  • 17.02.2021 Press release

    EU must end austerity policies paused during pandemic

    Social Europe Yes We Can
    European trade unions, together with a large coalition of NGOs and academics, are leading a campaign for the European Commission to permanently scrap austerity policies which have been paused during the pandemic. A ‘General Escape Clause’ relaxing the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact was introduced last year as part of the European Commission’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, which also included the creation of the SURE emergency job support scheme and the unprecedented recovery fund.