CES - ETUC

We are taking the streets of Brussels to say NO to cuts on pensions, to say NO to workers' rights reductions Full solidarity to our Belgian affiliates #fgtb #csc #cgslb fighting to stop austerity plans by new government. Isabelle Schömann

Intervista alla nostra Segretaria Esther Lynch oggi su il manifesto: https://lnkd.in/eV5C6vbP "Il nostro messaggio è semplice: bisogna resistere. Stando insieme agli altri lavoratori... Bisogna agire sempre tutti insieme: questa è la chiave per non farsi schiacciare dai potenti..." 📰

"All of Europe’s most successful economies are built on the foundation of quality jobs so the EU Commission must make them a cardinal point of the competitiveness compass." We are calling on the European Commission to make #quality #jobs a central objective to its competitiveness plan and warns against an approach based on low pay, long hours and bad conditions. https://lnkd.in/gA2w9RHp

🚨Last week, a highly controversial opinion about the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive was submitted to the Court of Justice. This Directive delivers concrete improvements for workers in multiple ways. Across the EU it ensures that minimum wages at least take into account clear criteria like purchasing power, cost of living, and average wage levels – effectively pushing for higher minimum wages that allow for decent living standards. It raises the floor for minimum wages but also strengthens workers’ collective power to negotiate better conditions. Since its implementation, it has already boosted the incomes of millions of low-paid workers throughout Europe. ⚠️The opinion from Mr. Emiliou inexplicably is an attack on the entire directive. Luckily, the Court of Justice of the European Union is not obliged to follow this opinion. Statement from the European Transport Workers' Federation: https://lnkd.in/d_VACtye

We welcome European Parliament resolution on #Belarus and reiterate that free trade unions are the cornerstone of democracy. Belarus is the worst country in Europe for workers. There are no freedoms, no workers’ rights, no respect of dignity. Anyone at any moment and at any place can face dismissals, persecution, detention, humiliation, for any signs of what can be considered disloyalty to the regime. Independent trade unions were outlawed, more than seventy trade union leaders of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) were prosecuted, thirty of them, including BKDP President Aliaksandr Yarashuk, are still in prison. Those who served prison terms as well as those who left the country and continue trade union work from abroad are designated extremists. We urge all the European political forces to make sure the resolution includes key demands of the European and Belarusian unions: - We call for release of all BKDP leaders and activists: trade unionism is not a crime! - We reject controlled voting and the role of the FTUB officials in it; urge the EU to take appropriate measures against those responsible for suppressing workplace freedoms and for leading Lukashenka's so-called election campaign; - We reinforce the decisions of the International Labour Organization under article 33 of the #ILO Constitution on Belarus and call all ILO member states to take steps for making government of Belarus respecting freedom of association. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBDxiCg9

Two events taking place on either side of the Atlantic this week will make it clear for all to see the alarming extent to which our democracy has been captured by corporate interests. In the United States, Donald Trump will return to the Capitol for his inauguration, no doubt feigning a newfound respect for democracy just four years after his supporters stormed the same building but armed with a playbook of far-right policies designed to undermine it. The Project 2025 programme for government drawn up by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with Trump’s allies and former staff includes plans to scrap democratic checks and balances, attack civil liberties, abuse human rights, repeal climate action and, of course, attempt to weaken workers’ rights. Full op-ed signed by ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch here: https://lnkd.in/eWzAYVpz

Chief executives of Europe’s top companies are paying themselves 110 times more than the average worker, an analysis by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) shows. Between an average basic salary of €1,571,000 and bonuses of up to 200% of their salary, CEOs of Europe’s top 100 companies received renumeration of €4,147,440 on average last year. That compares to €37,863 for a full-time worker. The findings come on the eve of the annual gathering of global CEOs at the Davos summit and the CES - ETUC is warning the vast wealth gap is damaging both the economy and democracy. Low pay has exacerbated Europe’s labour shortage, with a study showing that industries finding it hardest to recruit workers pay 9% less on average than those least affected. More info: https://lnkd.in/eC3evEx9

A highly controversial opinion was submitted to the Court of Justice of the EU today. It calls for the axing of the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive. "This opinion, if confirmed, would be a huge blow to working people and their trade unions." More information: https://lnkd.in/e5xQfrnQ

A new warning over Europe’s labour shortage issued today by the World Economic Forum (WEF) shows why the European Commission must make it a priority to deliver a plan for quality jobs. https://lnkd.in/eaQig8RB