Minimum wage workers in 11 EU member states spend at least 40% of their income on rent, new research shows ahead of a European Parliament vote on the issue.
People working full time are left with less than half of their wages to pay for food, heating and transport after rent in five countries. In a further six, rent accounts for between 41% and 48% of pay.
Fourteen Governments– including United States, Germany, France and UK - signed up at COP26 to support a socially ‘Just Transition’ to net-zero emissions.
Dear Readers,
We have just published the October 2021 edition of the ETUC newsletter.
To read the document, please click here.
Enjoy!
The ETUC expresses its solidarity with public sector workers in Slovakia and their union KOZ SR campaigning for a fair pay rise.
Hundreds of workers demonstrated outside the government’s headquarters on Wednesday as the second round of collective bargaining negotiations took place – not only to support their negotiators but protest against the dramatic reduction in living standards of other workers and citizens, particularly pensioners, amid increases in the price of food, electricity and housing due to inflation.
The ETUC is calling for investment and fair wages in the care sector after a new report revealed the sector has been hit by an exodus of workers since the pandemic.
Between 2019 and 2021 over 400,000 care workers left the sector, according to European Public Service Union EPSU.
On today’s Global Day of Action for Care, ETUC calls on the EU to:
Insist on investment in care
- through the ‘EU Care Strategy’ promised by President von der Leyen, and
Dear colleagues,
My name is Luca Visentini and I speak here on behalf of trade unions from all over Europe.
The citizens’ panel have discussed and pushed forward an impressive and very ambitious set of proposals and demands, which together with the inputs posted in the online platform will enable us to make the future of Europe better and more inclusive.
I would like to mention just two of these ideas.
VTC Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment - Transforming Europe's recovery into long-term sustainable growth supporting more and better jobs
Opening speech of Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary (20 October 2021)
[To be checked against delivery]
Presidents von der Leyen, Michel, Janša,
Vice President, Commissioner, Ministers,
Colleagues from the Social Partners,
EUROPEAN COMMISSION WORK PROGRAMME 2022
Potentially positive initiatives include
Missing include
Seriously bad gimmick includes
Protection of Workers from risks of exposure to asbestos at work
European Green Deal (on zero pollution, right to repair and plastics)
Media Freedom Act
Care Strategy
Recommendation on Minimum Income
Responding to the relaunch of the review of EU economic governance, ETUC Confederal Secretary Liina Carr said:
“The EU’s fiscal rules failed in the past, have been abandoned in the present and are unfit for the future. This review is an important step towards a Europe that puts the people and planet before arbitrary and self-defeating debt targets.
Roma, 16 ottobre 2021
È un grandissimo onore per me, un italiano alla guida del sindacato europeo, esprimere a questa piazza straordinaria il sostegno di tutte le lavoratrici e i lavoratori d’Europa.
Oggi e durante questi ultimi giorni, tante manifestazioni di solidarietà si stanno svolgendo e si sono svolte in molte capitali europee.
Il movimento sindacale d’Europa è unito contro il vile attacco fascista che ha colpito la CGIL e tutto il sindacato italiano.
Dear Maurizio,
I would like to express to you the most sincere solidarity and full support of the European Trade Union Confederation for the shameful attack by right-wing extremists and No-Vax on the headquarters of the national CGIL yesterday.
As you rightly reminded us, trade unions, in Italy, in Europe and in the world, have always been the defenders of democracy, and it is no coincidence that the fascist and violent instrumentalisation of the anti-vaccine protests is directed against the trade union movement and CGIL in particular.
