In a statement adopted by its executive committee on Thursday 8 March, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said it wanted a non-regression clause to be introduced in the agreement on post-Brexit relations between the Union and United Kingdom to prevent any social dumping strategy being pursued by the latter.
The unions consider that this is crucial if they are to prevent a race towards the creation of the least favourable social terms, which would affect both European and British workers. The ETUC believes that any agreement on access to the internal EU market must be accompanied by social conditions. It considers that the United Kingdom should be able to access the European Economic Area and European Free-Trade Area, whilst remaining in the EU customs union.
After the United Kingdom leaves the EU, the trade unions want to maintain bilateral trade without customs duties or other barriers in the goods and services sectors. They are calling for a dispute settlement mechanism to be set up under the authority of the European Court of Justice, as well as for the Good Friday Agreement to be maintained between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The ETUC also wants family reunification rights to be granted.
Free trade agreement rejected
The ETUC is opposed to the conclusion of a free-trade agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom. It believes the EU has a tendency to negotiate agreements that are limited to the minimum requirements of the International Labour Organisation. On the same lines as the free trade agreement between the EU/Ukraine, it is suggesting an alignment of British law with European law, together with a mechanism restricting access to the internal market in the event of failure to respect European employment standards.
The unions are calling for stricter rules on access for British financial services to the EU market and for future bilateral trade relations to preserve European industry and guarantee equivalent regulatory levels in the environmental and social fields. To this end, the ETUC would like more of a political arbitration system than a legal one to be created.
On Thursday, the unions delivered their position by hand to the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. On Wednesday, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, presented the draft guidelines on the EU27’s approach for the negotiations on future relations (particularly trade negotiations), with United Kingdom (see EUROPE 11976). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)