The Trade Union Intergroup of the European Parliament – a cross-party group of Members of the European Parliament motivated by forwarding the interests of working people – held its first meeting since the EU elections today in Strasbourg. The Trade Union Intergroup is co-chaired by MEPs Dennis Radtke (EPP), Estelle Ceulemans (S&D), Jana Toom (Renew Europe), Maria Ohisalo (Greens/EFA) and Leila Chaibi (Left), and is supported in its work by the European Trade Union Confederation. ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch participated in the launch of the Intergroup.

This month marks 10 years since the ETUC decided to step up its implication in EU standard-setting. Since 2015, the ETUC has worked to ensure better representation and more effective participation of trade unions in standardisation.  Standards permeate the world of work. They provide rules and guidance on how products and tools are made, methods are applied, and services are rendered.  Not only are they crucial in enabling the single market through interoperability and compatibility; they also ensure the safety and quality of products. 

Workers and their unions across Greece are on general strike today to call for measures to address the cost-of-living.  The ETUC has echoed their demands towards the EU institutions and called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to use all available tools to see that collective bargaining agreements at all levels are reinstated. “Austerity may be officially over, but its structural legacies remain deeply entrenched in labour market governance,” reads a letter by GSEE President Yannis Panagopoulos and General Secretary Nikos Fotopoulos.

The ETUC and the EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers) have urged the European Union to take decisive action to simplify subcontracting practices by limiting their use and promoting direct employment.

The ETUC has called on the EU to protect jobs and stand firm against any back-tracking on standards and rights in negotiations with the US administration. The 31 million people who work in manufacturing across the EU, many of whom are still facing the consequences of the US’ 25% tariffs, are relying on immediate EU action. The EU must equip itself with the tools to protect jobs from the consequences of the US tariffs. Securing these jobs and investing in expanding the know-how of Europe’s workforce will be crucial to the success of the EU’s industrial strategy.