Gothenburg, 17 November 2017 Esteemed authorities, social partners, civil society representatives, On behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation, I would really like to thank Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and President Jean-Claude Juncker for having organised this summit, which is extremely valuable in bringing together all EU leaders to discuss putting the social dimension back on track in the European Union.

“Signing the European Pillar of Social Rights must be the starting gun of a race to implement it,” said Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). “The Social Pillar is useful only if it is the beginning of better things to come.”   

Esteemed Presidents and Prime Ministers,   I would really like to thank Stefan Löfven for his kind offer to organise this extraordinary tripartite meeting, the day before the Social Summit. This is a great opportunity for social partners to play a role in support of the European Pillar of Social Rights and for its implementation, following tomorrow’s proclamation.

Trade Unions at EU Social Summit 16-17 November   European trade unions will be at the EU Social Summit in Gothenburg, with a European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) event and trade union delegations taking part in an Extraordinary Tripartite Social Summit and the Social Summit. Below are details of ETUC events open to journalists, and the participation and availability of trade unionists in Summit events.   16 November 2017   12.00-14.00 ETUC public event - Building a better Europe for working people

  The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and industriAll Europe call on MEPs to vote tomorrow – Tuesday 14 November – in favour of the agreement by the European Commission, Parliament and Council on anti-dumping.    The trade unions welcome the new method for assessing whether dumping caused by state subsidies is taking place. Indeed, the new method  · does not grant market economy status to China, and

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) today warned that yesterday’s European Court of Justice judgement on the Working Time Directive does NOT give employers a green light to make workers work for 12 days before they get a day of rest.

The ‘Paradise Papers’ show the multiple legal ways for companies and rich individuals to avoid tax, and highlight the need for determined action for tax justice, says the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).   “While millions of Europeans struggle to make a living on low-paid, part-time and temporary jobs, large companies and rich individuals are using the many loopholes available to them to avoid paying their fair share of tax,” said Katja Lehto-Komulainen, Deputy General Secretary of the ETUC.  

Minimum wages are so far below the official low-wage threshold in many EU countries that many workers would struggle to make a living, shows an ETUC briefing paper published today.   Minimum wages would have to increase by 62% in Spain, 28% in Germany and 22% in the UK just to reach a level below the low-wage threshold (set by the OECD at two-thirds of the national median wage).

The ETUC is calling for the 1991 Written Statement Directive, which obliges employers to give employees written details on the employment relationship, to be thoroughly reformed and modernised. It is the first chance for the EU to demonstrate that the European Pillar of Social Rights can be translated into real rights in the workplace. At the moment, the Directive simply requires employers to provide information on the terms and conditions of employment. The ETUC is calling for the Directive to include fair terms and conditions of employment enforceable for the workers.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the three Belgian unions, with the support of German union DGB and Austrian union ÖGB, kicked off 10 days of lobbying and social media activity to get the proposed 'European Pillar of Social Rights' adopted at the EU summit in Gothenburg on November 17 by projecting a stark message to the European Union last night. "Time is running out for the EU to deliver for working people" was the message projected onto the ‘Berlaymont’ HQ of the European Commission in Brussels.

Dear Readers, We have just published the October 2017 edition of the ETUC Newsletter. To read the document, please click here. Enjoy!

People who work for online platforms (like Uber, Deliveroo, Foodora and Amazon Mechanical Turk) deserve better than:   The recent EU Summit’s conclusions on ‘Digital Europe’ that highlight the “immense opportunities” for “growth and jobs” without even mentioning the precarious, low-paid employment without rights on offer on online platforms; The European Commission not responding to European Parliament demands to regulate labour and social rights in a digital Europe; says the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).