Brussels 11 June 2020 ETUC resolution on European Green Deal initiatives: Climate Law, EU Sustainable Investment Plan, Just Transition Fund Regulation and new EU Industrial Strategy Adopted at the ETUC Executive Committee of 9 June 2020 Summary of key messages

The European Trade Union Movement will welcome the forthcoming EU industrial strategy if the proposals are fair for workers, supportive of the most vulnerable regions and sectors and with sufficient funding to be implemented properly. Workers and trade unions are part of the solution and expect an inclusive governance process to shape and implement the strategy.   

Forthcoming European Commission Communication on Artificial Intelligence:  ETUC CALLS FOR AN AMBITIOUS STRATEGY RESPECTFUL OF WORKERS Ahead of the upcoming European Commission’s 2020 white paper on artificial intelligence, the European Trade Union Confederation reiterates the need for an ambitious European AI strategy to maintain and reinforce workers’ protection and involvement, and empower them to create sustainable use of AI tools.

European employers and trade unions are jointly calling on the new European Commission and Parliament for a more proactive and ambitious EU industrial strategy. The European Trade Union Confederation, BusinessEurope, SMEunited and CEEP want to position European industry as a global leader that will responsibly deliver prosperity by creating value for the people and the planet.

Climate change and digitalisation are among challenges which must be dealt with in a socially fair way according to a new EU report on the future of industry. The European Commission is today publishing ‘a vision for the European industry until 2030’ – the final report of their high-level roundtable set up in December 2017 which brought together unions with employers and experts to prepare an EU industrial policy.

The Croatian metal workers’ union SMH-IS has taken steps to preserve 6,500 jobs in the country’s Uljanik shipyard, and secure wages for some of the workers who had not been paid for three months. The SMH-IS together with the European trade union federation IndustriAll, persuaded the European Commission to approve a €96 million government loan for restructuring and salaries. Under EU rules, state aid has to be approved at European level.

ETUC position paper A renewed EU industrial policy – ETUC reaction Adopted at the Executive Committee on 25-26 October 2017

Commenting on the European Commission’s Energy Union winter package, the European Trade Union Confederation

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), together with sectoral trade union industriAll Europe, urge Trade Ministers meeting on 11 November to adopt robust anti-dumping measures to protect European jobs and industry from unfair, subsidised competition. The ETUC warn trade ministers of the urgency to effectively tackle unfair trade practices from countries like China, to save jobs in Europe. “Unfair competition is destroying EU manufacturing jobs” said ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini. “Europe must have the proper tools to defend its industry.”

The European Trade Union Confederation

Speech by Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary, at 2nd IndustriAll-Europe Congress  Madrid, 7-9 June 2016   Dear comrades and friends of IndustriAll Europe, I’m very honoured to participate in your congress today, and to bring you greetings and solidarity from the European Trade Union Confederation. Europe is facing a very challenging time.

Europe’s economy still suffers from insufficient growth, and unemployment levels remain unacceptably high. Very low inflation rates are close to sending Europe into technical deflation. We appreciate recent efforts by the European Central Bank, but very little of the quantitative easing money has gone into the real economy so far. It has largely benefitted the banks. It’s time to change the macroeconomic course of Europe towards higher investment and internal demand.

Joint statements on

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.

ETUC POSITION ON THE STRUCTURAL REFORM OF THE EU EMISSIONS TRADING SYSTEM Approved at the Executive Committee Meeting of 16-17 December 2015

The 2015-2017 work programme of the european partners 'partnership for inclusive growth and employment'

Adopted at the meeting of the Executive Committee on 11-12 March 2014     The European Council of 21 March 2014 will address industrial policy, energy and the fight against climate change. On 22 January 2014, the European Commission published two communications entitled "For a European Industrial Renaissance" and "A policy framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030". The aim of this declaration is to remind Europe's political leaders of some key elements of the ETUC's position on these issues.  

Brussels, 22/01/2014 Unfortunately, the Commission fails to put forward a proposal on how this potential for growth could be translated into job creation and states that it expects EU unemployment to remain at 11%, an all-time high, for at least two more years.

Brussels, 16/01/2014 “This report underlines the importance of a strong industry to support lasting and quality jobs in Europe,” said Jozef Niemiec, ETUC Deputy General Secretary. “Encouraging the reindustrialisation of Europe through the mobilisation of adequate financial means and through support for innovation is essential for Europe to get out of the crisis”.

17 December 2013 Joint Answer by the ETUC and industriAll Europe to the European Commission / Directorate-General for Competition

Brussels, 2013