Dear readers, The shock-waves from the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felt by workers across Europe. In this autumn edition, our National Updates illustrate how workplace organisation is changing and adapting, and trade unions and their members are learning the lessons from the lockdown in order to improve health and safety and make conditions more work-life friendly through shorter or more flexible working time, teleworking and hybrid systems.

Victory in the German elections for a party pledging a 12 Euro minimum wage is a major boost to the campaign to end poverty pay across Europe by improving the EU’s directive on minimum wages. Germany is currently among the two thirds of EU member states where the minimum wage is set below the EU’s at risk of poverty threshold (60% of the national median wage) as well as below 50% of the average wage. At 9.60 Euro an hour, it is just 48% of the median wage and 43% of the average wage in Germany.

Low wages mean almost three million people can’t afford to heat their homes despite being in work, an analysis of EU data for the ETUC has found as energy prices rocket across Europe.   On the first day of autumn and with winter looming, 15% of Europe’s working poor won’t be able to turn on the heating – equivalent to 2,713,578 people across Europe.

Commenting on the European Commission recommendation on the safety of journalists, ETUC’s Liina Carr commented: “The ETUC supports any action to ensure the safety of journalists. It is clear that no journalist, and indeed no worker, should die or be harmed for doing their job.   “The European Commission rightly highlights the importance of the safety of journalists for democracy and media freedom, as well for the health and safety of workers who are under increasing threat in Europe.

The European Parliament has backed proposals to prevent platform companies from forcing workers into false self-employment. Millions of workers are being denied their right to the minimum wage, holiday and sick pay, and a secure employment contract by some platform companies dodging their responsibilities as employers.

Responding to the state of the union speech, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said: “Ursula von der Leyen’s speech included all the right soundbites about the problems facing working people but was short on solutions.

European trade unions have today secured a third major victory this year against Uber’s exploitation of drivers, showing the urgent need for the EU to end the scandal of false self-employment by platform companies. In a case brought by the FNV trade union on behalf of Uber drivers, the Court of Amsterdam ruled that “the legal relationship between Uber and these drivers meets all the characteristics of an employment contract.”

Trade unions are renewing calls on the European Commission to support a patent waiver for Covid-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organisation after Australian

The European Commission has published a disappointingly vague Annual Strategic Foresight Report that fails to clearly put people at the heart of its long-term thinking. While the report addresses general mega trends, it misses the crucial and human fact of the need for social progress and justice, and jobs. This is vital for managing the climate and technological changes ahead in a just and inclusive way.   The report only mentions closer participation with unions and employers in relation to training and needs to go well beyond that.  

The European Parliament’s co-rapporteurs Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Greens / EFA) and Samira Rafaela (Renew) have today published their Joint Draft Report in a move to improve the Gender Pay Transparency Directive.

Today’s ruling by the European Court of Justice is disappointing and undermines the European Commission’s flagship commitment to ‘an economy that works for people’ warns the ETUC.  

ETUC is delighted to announce new Deputy General Secretary Claes-Mikael Ståhl, who started at ETUC today. Claes-Mikael is Swedish and has worked for Swedish blue-collar union LO since 2007, primarily on collective bargaining.   He has EU experience having worked in Brussels from 2003 to 2006, first for the EU Office of the Swedish Trade Unions and then for the ETUC. He has just moved to Brussels with his wife and two children.

Workers who benefit from collective bargaining enjoy up to two weeks extra paid holiday per year, an analysis of EU data for the ETUC has found as millions prepare to return to work after the summer break. Ten more days holiday on top of the legal minimum is enjoyed by German and Croatian workers whose working conditions are set through negotiations by trade unions and employers.