On 7 September 2020, the European Social and Economic partners (ETUC, BusinessEurope, CEEP, SMEunited and EuroChambres)  and the European Commission - represented by Commissioners Johansson and Schmit - renewed their commitment to the European Partnership for Integration Offering opportunities for Refugees to integrate the European Labour Market with a

The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed and exacerbated the deplorable working and living conditions of hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers in the EU, the vast majority of whom are cross-border and migrant workers. The pandemic is a wake-up call to recognise the pressing need to improve the conditions of vulnerable yet essential workers in sectors such as agri-food. The lessons learnt should pave the way for actions to address the shortcomings of the current legal framework in times of crises as well as in everyday working life of seasonal workers.

Reply of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to the Second Phase Consultation of Social Partners under Article 154 TFEU on a possible action addressing the challenges related to fair minimum wages   Executive Summary

Letter sent to the Presidents of the European Commission, European Council and European Parliament - Presidents von der Leyen, Michel and Sassoli.   Dear President

Brussels, 19 August 2020 To Executive Committee To Social Protection Committee For information to ETUC Member Organisations Dear Colleagues,

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Pan-European Regional Council (PERC) are following closely and with great concern the current situation in Belarus, after recent presidential elections. The ETUC and PERC demand the immediate release of trade unionists detained for having taken part in peaceful protests against falsified elections, notably Nikolai Zimin, former chairman of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union and Maxim Sereda, chairman of the UMTO the Independent Trade Union of Miners. The ETUC and PERC denounce:

The ETUC congratulates its Austrian affiliate ÖGB for reaching a new tripartite agreement on short-time work. Thanks to the strength of Austria’s trade unions, it was one of the first countries in Europe to secure workers’ incomes during the crisis and it is now leading the way in extending support. This comes at a time where around 340.000 applications for short-time work have been filed in the country.

Brussels, 30 July 2020 To the Executive Committee Dear all,  Please find below the final version of the statement on the Conference on the Future of Europe after the discussion and amendments of July Executive Committee meeting. The statement has already been sent to the European Parliament, Commission and Council to influence the negotiations for a joint declaration of the 3 institutions to launch the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

Adopted at the Executive Committee Meeting of 2-3 July 2020 Negotiations on the future relationship between the EU and UK resumed on 29 June after the UK declared its intention not to extend the transition period. Both the EU and the UK are entering a global recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially leaving millions of people in long-term unemployment.

Letters sent to President Sassoli and Leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament   The European Trade Union Confederation welcomes the adoption by the Council of the €750bn EU Recovery Plan, which we believe is particularly good news for the 60 million people in the EU who depend on the recovery funds for their jobs. It represents a very welcome change from the disastrous austerity-led response to the last crisis, from which Europe had not yet fully recovered when COVID-19 struck.

15 July 2020   The upcoming EU Pact on Asylum and Migration must present a turning point in European migration and asylum policies. The Pact should be ambitious and build on the lessons learned from the unprecedented crisis we are facing, while bringing forward a long-term strategy. We demand, in particular, that EU Member States urgently find a common agreement on asylum rules based on the principles of International asylum and sea rescue law, human rights, solidarity and shared responsibility.

This is a living document: the page will be constantly updated The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest health, economic and social challenge in the history of the European Union. Numerous European and national measures have been implemented to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus, also including those appertaining to workplaces and commuting to work.

Letter sent to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Charles Michel, President of the European Council; David Sassoli, President European Parliament; Mario Centeno, President of the Eurogroup; Christine Lagarde, President European Central Bank   Dear Presidents,