The world faces the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War but it is the richest Governments who have forgotten their history. More than 60 million people are fleeing from war, terror or abject poverty.
The Competitiveness Council on 26-27 May 2016 will discuss adopting an "innovation principle" for EU law-making. This would require the Commission to investigate the potential effect of legislation on research and innovation, during the “impact assessment" phase of the legislative process, before it is submitted to the Parliament and Council for democratic debate. This harmless-sounding clause has been strongly lobbied for by several corporate-led organisations.
The launch of the European Commission’s ‘Undeclared Work Platform’ on Friday 27 May is a long overdue initiative to tackle the exploitation of workers and unfair competition for law-abiding employers says the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
It is estimated that up to 20% of Europe’s GDP is in the ‘shadow economy’, and 11% of Europeans say they purchased goods or services involving undeclared work last year (in 2013).
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) strongly reject the granting of Market Economy (MES) to China.
Dear Readers,
The ETUC is pleased to launch the first edition of our new newsletter illustrating how trade unions at national as well as EU level are contributing to the wellbeing of the economy and society in general.
We want to show how unions are working successfully with other partners, including employers, governments and civil society organisations, to push for social progress and justice in Europe.
These stories demonstrate the trade union movement’s vital and constructive role in society.
Commenting on today’s ‘economic package’ and ‘country specific recommendations’ from the European Commission, Veronica Nilsson, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said
“The ETUC is encouraged by the slightly more flexible approach on budget deficits, by the greater emphasis on education and training, employment and fairer taxation than in previous years. It’s good that there are no new fines for excessive budgets although Portugal and Spain face new evaluations already in July.
The European Trade Union Confederation has written to the European Commission demanding that it
• rejects the arguments against the revision of the posting of workers directive in the ‘yellow card’ from some Member States;
• allows a democratic debate without delay on the existing proposal through the normal EU legislative procedure with governments
and the European Parliament.
The ETUC letter accuses the Member States involved of neglecting their own workers.
Trade unions in Europe and Latin America have united in demanding real benefits for working people in any future Bi-Regional Association Agreement between the EU and Mercosur.
This week, the two blocs will start negotiations on opening market access to each other’s goods, services, investments and public tenders. Earlier talks were halted in 2012 due to disagreements.
On Friday, the European Commission is expected to announce ‘binding occupational exposure limits’ for 13 cancer-causing substances.
“This is important news for the health of workers across Europe,” said Esther Lynch, ETUC Confederal Secretary, “and a hard-won victory for workers and their trade unions.
The European Commission today issued a package of proposals to reform the Dublin system: Towards a sustainable and fair Common European Asylum System.
The European Trade Union Confederation deeply regrets the lack of ambition and solidarity in these proposals.
Said Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation:
Hassan Yussuf and Luca Visentini – President and General Secretary of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) respectively – today signed and issued a joint statement on “what needs to be changed” in CETA – the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
The trade unions on both sides of the Atlantic agree that 5 key changes are needed to the CETA text negotiated in secret and “allegedly no longer open for debate”.
The 5 changes are:
According to the Spring 2016 Economic Forecast issued by the European Commission today, economic growth in Europe will remain "modest" in light of an unfavourable global environment. Furthermore, recovery is proving uneven in the euro area, leaving wide inequalities. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is concerned that the Commission's response is to urge further "structural reform efforts" rather than laying emphasis on higher investment and boosting internal demand.
Veronica Nilsson, ETUC Deputy General Secretary, commented:
3,515 people died in reported accidents at work in the EU in 2012 – the last time the EU collected the statistics. 100,000 die in the EU every year from work-related cancers.
The EU has done very little in recent years to strengthen the protection of workers from workplace diseases and injuries, despite the fact that new technology and innovation has created, and medical research has identified, new risks.
“Workers need better protection,” said Esther Lynch, ETUC Confederal Secretary. “New laws are needed now.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) says the decision by the European Commission to set up an EU Observatory for nanomaterials, instead of a Register, fails to protect workers from health risks and does not contribute in any way to the traceability of nanomaterials, and the transparency and accountability of industry.
Twenty quality standards for apprenticeships are proposed by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Unionlearn (TUC) in their new publication “A European Quality Framework for Apprenticeships – a European Trade Union Proposal”.
Despite increased interest by policy-makers in apprenticeships as a means to combat youth unemployment, apprenticeships have been in decline in recent years (and even more so since the 1980s).
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) – representing 45 million members from 89 trade union organisations in 39 European countries – is backing the “Healthy Workplaces for all ages” campaign coordinated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and launched today by European Commissioner Thyssen.
EU-OSHA’s campaign aims to promote sustainable work and healthy ageing from the beginning of people’s working lives and will run through to 2017 with a series of events, activities and publications.
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is outraged by the extent of top-level tax evasion and financial corruption revealed by the so-called Panama Papers.
More than 11 million leaked files from the database of secretive Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca show that some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people, including political leaders and celebrities, are evading tax and hiding their cash in shady offshore funds that also finance companies involved in money laundering, arms deals and drug trafficking.
The Executive Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), gathering today for a meeting in Brussels and bringing together trade union leaders from all over Europe, expressed its solidarity with the people of Brussels and the victims of this morning's horrific bomb attacks.
"We are with all the people in Brussels who have been injured or killed, with their families, with all those dealing with this frightening situation, and with those who are seeking news of family, friends and colleagues" said Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the ETUC.
“A hypocritical attempt to circumvent international obligations” is how Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, described the proposed EU deal with Turkey.
“The ETUC is appalled by the lack of European unity and humanity in dealing with refugees seeking shelter from war, and is working with employers to support the integration of refugees and migrants into the labour market.
Europe’s economy still suffers from insufficient growth, and unemployment levels remain unacceptably high. Very low inflation rates are close to sending Europe into technical deflation.
We appreciate recent efforts by the European Central Bank, but very little of the quantitative easing money has gone into the real economy so far. It has largely benefitted the banks. It’s time to change the macroeconomic course of Europe towards higher investment and internal demand.
Speech delivered today by Veronica Nilsson, ETUC Deputy General Secretary at the rally “No to more walls in Europe”:
I would like to thank the S&D for organising this important event. Europe’s workers support the call for no more walls in Europe.
Men, women and children are fleeing war in Syria, in Iraq, in Afghanistan.
They are risking their lives to get to safety in Europe. Many have drowned on their way to Europe.
Many European citizens have welcomed the refugees.
They have given them food and shelter.
