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REFIT a frontal attack at trade unions exemplified by Commission’s “No” to the social partner agreement in hairdressing.

Speech by Oliver Roethig, UNI Europa Regional Secretary at the ETUC Executive Committee
22 October 2013
 

Agreements concluded at Union level shall be implemented […] at the joint request of the signatory [social partners], by a Council decision on a proposal from the Commission. (TFEU, Art. 155.2)

The “REFIT – fit for growth” Communication published on 2 October 2013 is an open attack on the very role of trade unions and the promotion of social dialogue in Europe. Social rights, such as the entire body of EU law on occupational health and safety, are classified as burdensome for business. They are seen as obstacles to profit making whatever the costs for workers or the public at large. It unmasks the European Commission’s intention to roll back social Europe, not least to placate eurosceptics in some member states. 

The first victim of this anti-social policy agenda is the agreement of the hairdressing social partners on occupational health and safety. By refusing to make it legally binding, the Barroso Commission deliberately set a political signal: to disregard the autonomy and the rights of the social partners guaranteed by the EU Treaty as well as to ignore its legal obligation to promote social dialogue.

Barroso is clearly challenging trade unions to choose whether they are ready to fight for their rights or accept that they will be weakened further not only at national level but now also at European level.

UNI Europa has decided to take all necessary action to defend the role of trade unions in the EU Treaty. The right that European social partner agreements are transformed into law must be upheld! 

UNI Europa is preparing a political and legal campaign:

• Mobilising public opinion.
• Getting support in the European Parliament and from member states’ governments.
• Challenging the Commission’s decision on the hairdressing agreement in the European court.
• Calling upon all European social dialogues to declare their support for the translation of social partner agreements, such as the hairdressing agreement, into law.

We call upon the ETUC and the entire trade union movement to join us in this struggle – to prioritise campaigning and fighting for the reversal of the Commission’s decisions on the agreement of the hairdressing social partners.

As a matter of principle, we want that the Commission and the Council to fully recognise the role of the social partners as co-legislators. At the request of European social partners at sectoral or cross-sectoral level, the Commission must make a proposal to the Council to make their agreements legally binding – as set out in the EU Treaties. 

Barroso has made a political signal for a less social Europe and, as part of this, is victimising the hairdressing social partners. 

Let us set our own political signal for a more social Europe by standing jointly with the hairdressing social partners. Their agreement must become law!