News

Trade unions firmly oppose deregulatory measures that endanger workers and challenge acquired worker’s rights. The European trade union movement launched a joint campaign against the REFIT programme.

The REFIT programme launched by the EU Commission is a direct and open attack on worker’s rights. With the publication of the REFIT – Fit for Growth Communication in October 2013, the EU Commission announced the stalling of further Health and Safety regulations; the agreement reached by social partners in the field of health and safety for hairdressers is blocked; the EU Commission wishes to weaken legislation on information and consultation of workers and enable additional profits for business; the EU Commission announced the review of legislation on part time work, and fixed term contracts which are the result of negotiations between social partners.

UNI Europa together with Coiffure EU, the representative and recognised social partners, mobilised both at European and national level to exert pressure on the EU Commission to forward the social partner agreement to the Council of the EU for its decision to render the social partner agreement legally binding. UNI Europa, together with the ETUC and member organisations additionally approached Members of the European Parliament to sketch out our opposition to this outright and unacceptable attack on European social dialogue and worker’s rights.  

The EU Commission openly announced that initiatives in the field of health and safety at work will be blocked during the current legislature and remained extremely vague over the timeframe for the forwarding of the Hairdressing sector social partner agreement to the Council. The EU Commission masked its upfront attack on progressive regulatory and legislative initiatives through a vague discourse of reduction of administrative burdens. Protective measures over worker’s health and safety are portrayed as damaging to the employers and to business profits. Conservative governments across Europe, notably the United Kingdom, welcomed the REFIT agenda and used this opportunity to largely disseminate their deregulatory eagerness to minimise additional EU rules. What once was the pinnacle of the European endeavour and progressive construction has been brought to a halt. Alarmingly, there are forces that wish to reverse any achievement in occupational health and safety.

In order to assist the Commission Services, a group of ‘experts’ was set up: the Stoiber Group. The Stoiber Group, backed by the President of the EU Commission, received assistance from prestigious consultants to challenge ‘business-identified’ obstacles to further integration of the Internal Market. The Stoiber Group proposed the scrapping of hampering EU rules and regulations. Not surprisingly, occupational health and safety, enforcement of worker’s rights, and environmental protections were among the top of this hit-list.

UNI Europa, together with its member organisations, mobilised against the EU Commission’s dismissal of the social partner agreement in the hairdressing sector. REFIT is a full-frontal attack on European legislation that protects workers and consumers. UNI Europa’s regional secretary, Oliver Roethig, on several occasions, called upon the Commission to change course. The “REFIT – fit for growth” strategy casts serious doubt on the European social model and the fundamental role of the trade unions as social partners. By refusing to make the social partner agreement legally binding, the Commission is sending a signal that it views Social Europe as an obstacle to profit-making, whatever the cost to workers and consumers.

The agreement was convened by employers and unions which were primarily concerned with reducing exposure to dangerous chemicals amongst staff working in the sector. UNI Europa told President Barroso to stop playing with workers’ health and safety. The European Trade Union Confederation launched a poster campaign, directly addressing the President of the EU Commission and calling for a halt to this unacceptable deregulatory drive that will ultimately, if implemented limit a significant amount of worker’s and trade unions protective measures and regulations.

The ETUC adopted a Resolution entitled Rethink REFIT. It can be accessed on the following website: http://www.etuc.org/a/11825. The ETUC Poster Campaign can be accessed on the following website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/etuc-ces/sets/72157636829941765/#. Twitter users are invited to note the specific hashtag of this European campaign: #RethinkRefit.

Belgian trade union confederations, together with the ETUC and UNI Europa, set up a dedicated website to further concretise the campaign against the REFIT agenda. The website provides informative material, press releases, and campaign elements that can be used in different national contexts. The website hosts a specific web-space allowing visitors to sign a Petition marking their disapproval of the REFIT agenda and requesting the reversal of this worrying political development.  

You are invited to visit the website and join forces in this Campaign against REFIT: http://rethinkrefit.eu/

More specifically, UNI Europa published a pamphlet setting out the real story of health and safety issues for hairdressers rather than the misleading comments you may see in the media. The Pamphlet is available in English and French and can be accessed in the related files tab.