The European Parliament has today voted by a large majority to ban unpaid internships – putting the ball firmly in the court of the European Commission to stop employers exploiting young people.
The report on quality traineeships adopted in plenary, with 404 votes in favour compared to just 78 against, includes calls for an EU Directive that will introduce:
• Fair remuneration in line with minimum wage
• Social Security coverage
• Clear training and learning objectives
The European Council wants to remove the criminalisation of rape out of the draft directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence.
The European Trade Union Confederation condemns the decision of some member states to hide behind a false argument that there is no legal basis for its inclusion.
The Council’s proposals also fail to address the safety of women in the workplace by:
The ETUC notes the adoption at today’s EPSCO of the Council Recommendation with the aim of strengthening social dialogue at national level.
We have concerns about the process, as the European Social Partners were not consulted on the final text before its adoption. Therefore, we will now need to analyse the text in full to make sure that trade union prerogatives are fully respected.
EU ministers made an important step towards the next phase of negotiations on the better regulation of platform work when they agreed the European Council’s position on the directive on platform work.
But improvements are needed because:
Putting the money where the Decent Work is
Speech Esther Lynch, General Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation
[Check against delivery]
Director General, Distinguished Delegates,
It is a great honour to represent 54m workers and their trade unions around Europe.
We come here to the ILC seeking justice and respect. Respect for every worker, men and women in all our diversity.
ETUC and IndustriAll Europe are disappointed that the European Parliament adopted on 1 June the Act in Support of Ammunition Production without amendments. The regulation, as originally proposed, would allow the diversion of funds initially intended for cohesion and recovery towards the defence sector as well as encouraging the use of greater flexibility around working time rules. Trade unions express grave concern about the precedent that is being set.
The European Parliament has today voted to make EU businesses accountable for their conduct – but stronger measures will be needed to prevent unions and workers’ rights violations.
The vote of the Parliament’s report on the proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive represents an important step forward in putting people and planet before the profits at all costs, and making businesses accountable.
The European Trade Union Confederation’s congress, where trade union renewal was a central theme, concluded today with the election of a new leadership team which is gender-balanced and the youngest in the history of the organisation.
Irish trade unionist Esther Lynch, who first became involved in the labour movement while working in a micro-chip factory in the 1980s, will lead the team over the next four years as General Secretary.
More than 45 years after the EU made equal pay the law, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today joined with trade unions to ensure it is finally made a reality for women workers.
President von der Leyen spoke at the congress of the European Trade Union Confederation in Berlin, where more than half of delegates are women, and ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch called for the full and fast implementation at national level of the Pay Transparency Directive.
Spending reductions forced on 14 member states in 2024 equivalent to losing enough to fund 1 million nurses or teachers
The amount of money countries will be forced to cut from national budgets next year to meet new EU austerity rules would pay for over 1 million nurses or 1.5 million teachers, new research by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has found.
Under the European Commission’s proposal for new economic rules, EU member states with a deficit above 3% of GDP will have to reduce their budget deficit by a minimum of 0.5% of GDP.
Employers need to offer better-paid jobs to end Europe’s damaging labour shortage, according to new research published by the European Confederation of Trade Unions (ETUC) today (Tuesday).
The failure of EU competition enforcers to assess and address the impact of growing corporate power on workers is contributing to lower employment, wages and working conditions, a new expert report for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) shows.
Speech by ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch at todaysà closing plenary of the Beyond Growth conference at the European Parliament in Brussels:
Thank you for inviting the ETUC to be part of these discussions. We represent 50 million workers and their trade unions thoughout Europe. We welcome the opportunity to be part of this conference that has discussed transformative solutions.
The ETUC and industriAll Europe are concerned about the draft Regulation on the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) published on 3 May 2002. The draft regulation aims to strengthen the responsiveness and capacity of the Union's defence industry for the security of the EU and for continued efforts to support Ukraine. Worryingly, it also allows companies to derogate from existing rules that protect workers.
The European Commission has today taken its first steps to protect workers from extreme heat following a campaign by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
At an EU summit on occupational health and safety in Stockholm, EU Commissioner for Social Rights Nicolas Schmit announced new guidance on employers’ responsibility to people working in high temperatures.
The European Parliament has today improved the Artificial Intelligence Act, but opened-up a loophole which will leave workers’ safety and fundamental rights at risk.
The Artificial Intelligence Act proposed by the European Commission only requires manufacturers to rank their own technology between low and high risk before putting it on the market and did not include any rules on the use of AI in the workplace.
The report adopted by Parliament’s committees on Legal Affairs and Internal Market and Consumer Protection made important improvements, including:
The European Parliament’s employment and social affairs committee (EMPL) today adopted a report on quality traineeships that sets binding standards for the protection of the rights of trainees across the EU.
The report, which was adopted with an overwhelming majority, recognises the important role that traineeships play in facilitating the transition from education to work and proposes measures to minimise the risks of exploitative and low-quality traineeships.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today announced a seventh consecutive hike in interest rates.
European Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Esther Lynch said:
"There is a mismatch between what the ECB believes is going on and what is actually going on. The ECB has once again hit the wrong target.
Victims of occupational cancer and their families are today, on International Workers Memorial Day, calling on EU leaders to give workers the highest possible level of protection from asbestos.
The reform of the EU’s economic rules proposed today by the European Commission will allow the return of austerity and prevent climate action, unless changes are made between now and December.
The current rules, which limit member state budget deficits to 3% of GDP and debt to 60% of GDP, have been suspended since 2020 to deal with economic consequences of the pandemic.
