The ETUC as well as the ETUFs during the last two decades have been actively involved in the EU level debate on how to improve frameworks conditions for trade unions, employee representatives as well as individual employees in contexts of corporate restructuring – in regard to anticipation and also the handling and management of restructuring operations both at national as well as cross-border level. In various occasions, in trade union run studies and cooperation projects, in bilateral as well as trilateral dialogue structures and events at EU level it has been highlighted and stressed by European unions that there is a need for a substantial strengthening of workers’ rights in order to model and shape a fair handling of corporate restructuring and strengthen the capacity to anticipate change.
This is a propitious time for the publication of the Syndex study, which will help inform European trade unions about the state of play in the economic relations between two of the major world players and feed their discussions towards elaborating ETUC policy on the issues.
The ETUC togheter with OSHA and ECHA published a leaflet dedicated to workers’ reps in companies manufacturing, importing or using chemicals.
The REACH Regulation requires companies manufacturing or importing chemical substances into the EU, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein in quantities of one tonne or more per year to register them with ECHA. If information on the hazardous properties of the chemical is unavailable, it should be generated and safety data sheets should be updated if needed.
Through the period 2012/2013 - the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) ran a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project backed by the European Commission. This project highlighted the new CSR practices that have been rolled out by ETUC affiliates since 2006 and also resulted in the identification of trade union priorities for the years to come, particularly regarding the renewed EU strategy.
As part of the follow-up to the ETUC Congress engagements towards the promotion of women within its membership and decision-making structures, in 2015 the ETUC carried out the eighth edition of what has become an annual 8th March survey. The aim of this survey is to monitor the proportion of women in the European trade union movement, including in decision-making positions. The objective is to assess progress in reducing the representation and decision-making gap between women and men in trade unions.
In the context of demographic, social and societal change in Europe, it is likely that an ever increasing number of workers will have responsibilities to (help) look after an elderly or disabled relative at home. The main goal of the project was to gather and assess policies and initiatives which have been taken by social partner organisations to influence and provide for a supportive legislative and policy framework to assist workers to combine work with such (non-professional) caring responsibilities .
