The Commission must move ahead with a Just Transition Directive as part of the Quality Jobs Act, following the backing today by the European Parliament of measures to prevent avoidable job losses. In times of geopolitical and trade uncertainties, the EU must equip itself with strong tools to anticipate and manage economic change while building internal cohesion.
The overwhelming support, with 420 MEPs voting in favour (67%) of the report on a ‘just transition directive in the world of work,’ represents an important step towards greater job security at a time when a wave of company restructuring is underway, particularly in the automotive, chemical and steel industries. That comes on top of the million industrial jobs lost between 2019 and 2023.
Workers and their trade unions must be in a position to manage change, rather than suffer its consequences. As well as avoiding job losses, workers also stand to benefit from a right to training during working time to ensure they are prepared for the quality jobs of the future.
The energy sector alone will need 145,000 additional workers by 2030, according to the European Commission, but Mario Draghi’s report on competitiveness pointed out only 37% of adults participated in training in 2016 and this rate has hardly increased since.
In the report, MEPs called for the Commission to include the following measures in the Just Transition Directive:
- A dedicated framework to anticipate and manage change through the mandatory and timely information and consultation of workers and their representatives, social dialogue and collective bargaining;
- An individual right to paid training for workers during working hours;
- The establishment of enterprise level and national just transition strategies, developed and implemented with the involvement of social partners supported by EU funding.
Ludovic Voet, ETUC Confederal Secretary, said:
“There are no winners from the chaotic factory closures and redundancies that Europe is currently suffering. It means Europe is losing industrial capacity for good and it is harder for workers to find jobs of the same quality.
“That is why we need to stop lurching from crisis to crisis and ensure we anticipate and manage change in our economy. A just transition is a win-win for workers and companies.
“For example, giving workers the right to training would help end Europe’s skills shortage and increase companies productivity, while ensuring people are prepared for new opportunities being created in the energy sector.
“Today’s vote shows there is overwhelming support for a just transition and we expect the Commission to include legislation in the Quality Jobs Act.
“The EU institutions have delayed delivery for far too long and in the meantime, the situation for workers has only worsened. This vote sends an unmistakable signal to the Commission: the mandate is clear, and workers across Europe cannot wait any longer.”
