News

On the morning of Tuesday 28 May 2013, 400 workers gathered outside the European Commission in Brussels to demand that the future directive on public procurement respects workers. At the same time catering workers of the European Parliament were on strike in support of this action.



The current rules on public procurement are pushing governments that outsource activities such as cleaning, security, construction, and catering, to only consider the price in their choice of subcontractors. This logic entails a fierce competition between subcontracting firms at the expense of quality and working conditions.



A delegation of Belgian and European Trade Unions in these sectors met the responsible services at the European Commission. They committed to working with trade unions in order to:



• Ensure compliance with collective agreements

• ensure that the criterion of the lowest price is an option and not the rule

• Increase the involvement of social partners in the sectors mentioned for the implementation and monitoring of the new Directive



Meanwhile, the European Parliament's Rapporteur for the Directive, Mr. Marc Tarabella, came to meet workers attending the action and expressed his support for their concerns.



Belgian and European trade unions will continue to put pressure on the European Commission to comply with its commitments to date and with national governments they lead to a directive that respects workers.