CES - ETUC

The number of firefighters was cut in a dozen EU member states last year despite a rising risk of fires caused by climate change, our analysis of new EU data has found. Eurostat figures recently published show that there were 362,400 #firefighters in the #EU in 2023, which is an increase of 3,200 on the previous year. However, a look behind that headline figure reveals worrying cuts to fire services in 12 member states – the majority of the countries for which Eurostat has published figures. They include countries which experienced huge wildfires in 2023, such as Greece, Italy and Cyprus. The cuts also coincided with the second hottest year recorded in European history. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/ewDDRnqi

Trade unions are calling for the European Union’s social and labour standards to be fully upheld in negotiations on the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro. Trade unions want the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro to be a success for working people in these countries themselves as well as for those in existing members of the European Union. That means the EU’s social and labour standards must be fully upheld in accession talks, with no partial access to the single market until countries have reached the required standards. https://lnkd.in/guU_GCFs

Keep out the far right: trade union leaders from across Europe are warning against letting in the anti-worker far right. As negotiations advance for the formation of the leadership of the EU institutions (European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Parliament), the European trade union movement is calling on all democratic forces to reject any cooperation with any part of the far right. The far right consistently and dishonestly claims to support working people when, in reality, it attacks their trade unions and their democratic rights, dismantling human rights and women’s rights in particular. Giving workers a say in the world of work is a cornerstone of any democratic society and an antidote to far-right and anti-worker populism. More information: https://lnkd.in/gfPBVhAF

What’s the future of Social Europe after European elections? A conversation with our General Secretary Esther Lynch by Voxeurop: https://lnkd.in/eTpkfQsY

The European Commission today announced that it is opening a ‘Excessive Deficit Procedure’ for Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia. Reacting to the announcement, ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch said: “Forcing member states to make draconian cuts to public expenditure is a recipe for economic, social and political disaster. The obsession with deficit reduction completely misses addressing the challenges Europe is facing with the twin transitions. What Europe needs is social and green investments." More info here: https://lnkd.in/ejZznwJp #notoausterity

Action needed to prevent work-related cancer will continue until at least 2028 under an agreement signed today by trade unions, businesses and member states. #Cancer is the leading cause of work-related deaths in the EU with over 100,000 cancer deaths each year. The Roadmap on Carcinogens was launched in 2016 in an effort to tackle this scandal, leading to the introduction of safer exposure limits on dozens of dangerous substances commonly found in workplaces. Today it was agreed that the scheme will be renewed for a third time, meaning action will continue until at least 31 December 2027. The commitment was included in a covenant signed by the ETUC, Business Europe, the EU Commission, and 11 member states at a high-level event organized by the Belgian presidency. The Roadmap is a non-legislative initiative aimed at ensuring protections enshrined in legislation are implemented in the workplace. Pressure from trade unions is a major factor in driving prevention measures and guaranteeing employers deliver on their duty to ensure the health and safety of their employees regardless of where they work. EU extends action against workplace cancer: https://lnkd.in/eHskEgq3

‼Breaking‼ Report: #Tesla helping to trash Europe’s rights record Tesla’s attack on collective bargaining is part of a “worrying trend” which has seen workers’ rights eroded more quickly in Europe than in any other region of the world, according to a major new report. The conduct of Elon Musk’s company, which has sparked a historic strike at its manufacturing plant in Sweden by refusing to engage in collective bargaining, is singled out in the 2024 International Trade Union Confederation - ITUC Global Rights Index as an example of violations of collective bargaining rights occurring in more than half of European countries. The right to strike is being violated in three quarters of European countries, including Finland where the government wants to limit political strikes to a single day and undermined wage negotiation as part of what the report calls an “unprecedented attack on the Nordic social model.” The report says this is part of a “long-term deterioration” in respect for workers’ rights in Europe, which is now the part of the world which has seen the “worst decline” in rights since the first index was published in 2014. More info: https://lnkd.in/eYcQADhv

The European elections: the right lessons to learn There remains a democratic majority in the European Parliament to tackle the economic and social insecurity fuelling populism. ‘Business as usual’ cannot continue—that much is clear from the results of the European elections. Democratic forces still have a clear majority in the European Parliament. The majority of people who came out voted for a democratic Europe. So there is no need—still less excuse—for backroom deals with any part of the far right. But the rise in support for anti-democratic, anti-worker parties demands a response. Some politicians, panicked, will try to go even further in imitating the far right, in style and substance. Trade unions, supported by the data, are clear that this tactic will backfire. The obsessions of the far right are far from the main concerns of European citizens, whose priorities are quality #jobs and ending #poverty. Read CES - ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch Op-Ed here: https://lnkd.in/eftVSqbX #EuElections2024

Today’s decision by European Central Bank is long overdue against a background of inflation which has been driven by the record profits of the biggest corporations - not by working people experiencing a historic cut in their living standards. Record #interest #rates have put further pressure on the incomes of working people, many of whom are increasingly dependent on borrowing to purchase everyday items. These rates have put #jobs at risk by taking us to the brink of a recession. It is positive that the ECB are finally bringing their decisions into line with its own data showing there has not been a wage-price spiral. But while today’s decision is a step in the right direction, the ECB now has a responsibility to keep cutting rates quickly in order to relieve the pressure they’ve put on working people and unblock investment in the economy. https://lnkd.in/eQNRF48T

For a Europe for working people. Vote. For a Europe of shared prosperity. Vote. For a Europe where workers have collective power. Vote. #EuElections2024 #UseYourVote CES - ETUC Manifesto for the European Elections 2024: https://lnkd.in/egNeDeyR