Workers’ rights around the world and also in Europe “are at their worst level in at least a decade as a result of government crackdowns on the right to strike and union busting by employers”, according to the International Confederation of Labour’s ‘Global Rights Index’, published on Monday 2 June by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
According to the Index, “41% of European countries have violated the right to form and join a trade union. 37% of European countries have impeded trade union registration. 54% of European countries have denied workers access to justice. 17% of European countries have restricted freedom of expression and assembly. 32% of European countries have arrested and detained workers. Workers have still been the victims of violent attacks in 17% of European countries”, adds the ETUC, citing “anti-strike laws in Finland and Italy” and the campaign for deregulation at EU level, which is likely to exacerbate the situation.
The ETUC is calling on the Commission “to urgently bring forward a ‘Quality Jobs’ Package including legislation that will reinforce rights in Europe, including new rules on public procurement”.
Link to the study: https://aeur.eu/f/h4o (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)