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On September 4th, 2014, the UNI Europa Women's Committee met in Brussels and adopted a statement rejecting the REFIT measures which will affect hundreds of workers in the Hair and Beauty sector. The statement is annexed.   

The statement highlights the concerns of the UNI Europa Women’s Committee with the European Commission’s decision to further pursue and implement the simplification measures established in its Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) in both the agreement on the Protection of Occupational Health and Safety in the Hairdressing Sector as well as the Maternity Leave or Pregnant Worker’s Directive.

The UNI Europa Women’s Committee condemns the delay procedures adopted by the European Commission concerning the request of the social partners for the transposition of the European framework agreement on the protection of occupational health and safety in the hairdressing sector into a directive. The Committee asked that the European Commission transmits this agreement to the Council without delay, fully accomplishes its mission of “guardian of treaties” and continues to respect the autonomy of social partners on health and safety.

As UNI Europa Women, they called upon the EU Commission to respect the autonomy of its social partners, to uphold its commitments to thousands of workers in the Hairdressing Sector, to restate its support for better maternity rights and to re-engage in the legislative process of the Pregnant Workers’ Directive.

At the World Women's Conference in Cape Town, South Africa on 4-5 December 2014, UNI Global Union Women representatives reiterated their support towards the social partner agreement on occupational health and safety in the hairdressing sector. The UNI World Women Conference agreed to remind the EU Commission of Article 155 TFEU. Together with UNI Europa, the Women representatives refuted and objected to the damaging and discriminatory remarks from the EU Commission.

Given that the vast majority of hairdressers are women, the remarks of the EU’s quasi-executive are considered as both derogative and discriminatory, unacceptable and outrageous. The World’s Women Conference strongly opposes the derogatory gender remarks and urged the EU Commission to end the deliberate stalling of the legislative process with regard to the Hairdressing Occupation Health and Safety Social Partner Agreement. The Statement is annexed.