It’s a big week in the EU for social rights, and conditions for working people.
Tomorrow (Monday 23 October) the Employment Council is expected to decide on
- The revision of the Posted Workers Directive
- The European Pillar of Social Rights
On Thursday (27 October) the European Parliament votes on the revision of the Posted Workers Directive.
The ETUC expects the Employment Council to agree the Social Pillar following the deal on the text achieved by EU Ambassadors on Friday (20 October), thanks to the efforts of the European Parliament and the Commission, and pressure from the ETUC. This will pave the way for it to be proclaimed by the EU Summit in Gothenburg on November 17, and give enough time to adopt implementing legislative initiatives (such as the ones on Written Statement, Social Protection and Labour Authority) within the mandate of the current Commission and Parliament.
“It’s time to stop talking and start doing, and make concrete progress on initiatives to implement the social pillar” said Esther Lynch, ETUC Confederal Secretary “in the 18 months remaining for the current Commission and Parliament. New rights and better conditions for working people are needed in workplaces now. Trade unions will not tolerate long and unnecessary delay.”
“The Council must adopt its positions on the Posted Workers Directive this week” said Liina Carr, ETUC Confederal Secretary. “In the European Parliament, trade unions call on MEPs to endorse the approved mandate of the Employment Committee which contains several important and overdue improvements to the rights of working people.”
Trade unions from the Visegrad countries have signed a joint statement giving strong support to the revision of the Posted Workers Directive, and for including equal pay for the same work in the same place in the revised Directive.
For more on the posted workers directive see https://www.etuc.org/press/posted-workers-rights-hands-ep-vote-today
For more on the pillar of social rights see https://www.etuc.org/press/trade-unions-fight-stronger-european-pillar-social-rights
Joint statement of trade unions of Visegrad group on the revision of the posted workers directive see in PDF attachment
