ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini has written to all Employment Ministers urging them not to dilute the Commission proposals and “adopt a meaningful general approach” on the 2 Directives up for discussion at the EPSCO Council on Thursday. The letter states that the Directives on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions and Work Life Balance are both “crucial to working people across Europe and their trade unions.”

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) condemns the violation of human rights and international law by the Italian Government, welcomes the humanity of the Spanish Government and criticises the lack of action by the European Union and its member states over the sorry saga of the rescue ship Acquarius and its 629 people on board.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) will oppose a potential double cut in European Social Fund (ESF) spending in the EU budget  2021-2027. The European Commission’s ESF proposals published today, its Cohesion Policy proposals published yesterday and the overall EU budget 2021-2027 proposals, include

Commenting on the outcome today of the European Parliament vote on posted workers, Liina Carr, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), saluting a victory for Europe’s posted workers, said: “Justice at last for posted workers. “With the YES vote, the ETUC is very pleased that posted workers now have the prospect of equal pay. “Even if the final deal includes important compromises such as the exclusion of transport workers, it guarantees at least the same pay for the same work in the same place.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has written to MEPs urging them to vote in favour of the revision of Posting of Workers Directive. The Plenary vote is due to take place on Tuesday 29 May on the trilogue deal between the Commission, Council and Parliament in March, and is a yes/no vote without the possibility of amendments. The text has already been approved by Council.     

"The ETUC condemns the shooting of Palestinian protestors, including children, in repeated displays of excessive and disproportionate force by the Israeli army” said ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini. “The killing must stop.” “We urge Israel and the Palestine to restart negotiations in good faith for peace based on a two-state solution. We encourage the European Union and the United Nations to do all it can to bring an end to the violence and to encourage negotiations.”

Something has gone wrong in the European Union. Four examples bear witness to this dysfunction. How can it be justified that hundreds of thousands of letter-box companies have been allowed to develop, when the aim of these ghost companies is to evade taxes, labour laws and regulations? How can it be explained that European Court of Justice decisions authorized the restriction of employees’ fundamental rights in order to support business schemes whose very objective was to circumvent the protection of employees?

A guide to a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon economy is published by the European Trade Union Confederation on May 15. The 48 page document ‘Involving trade unions in climate action to build a just transition’ contains

Commenting on the European Commission’s Spring 2018 Economic Forecast heralding “strong growth” at “a 10-year high” and “rosy outlook”, Katja Lehto-Komulainen Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said “European Commissioners sound upbeat about Europe’s growth but life in the labour market remains very tough for far too many people. There are still 17 million unemployed in the EU and much of the growth in employment is in part-time or temporary jobs. In work poverty is on the rise.

Commenting on the European Commission’s proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework, European Trade Union Confederation Confederal Secretary Thiébaut Weber said: “We cannot accept the proposal to cut cohesion funding ­– and therefore probably the European Social Fund – by 7%.  This sends out an appalling signal to European citizens when the ink on the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) is not yet dry.