Ahead of Commissioner hearings: What prospects for EU employment policy?

by Klaus Heeger, Secretary General, European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions — CESI

As MEPs in the European Parliament are about to start their 2-week marathon to hear Commissioner-designates for the new EU term 2024–2029, it is worth spending attention on the future direction of the EU employment policy. Will it face a backlash or a renewed boost?

In the European Commission’s political guidelines for 2024–2029 and her mission letter to the designated incoming Commissioner in charge of employment, Ursula von der Leyen, the previous and newly confirmed Commission President, has already outlined the stakes to shape the block’s response to current labour market challenges, from digitalisation and fair transitions to demographic ageing and skills shortages.

However, the guidelines for employment, although extensive, remain broad and vague. This creates an opportunity for the incoming Commissioner in charge of employment policy to inject ambitious goals into the policy frameworks that will define the workforce in the EU over the next five years. It will be up to this Commissioner to ensure that employment policy not only maintains its relevance but also advances social rights and inclusivity in the face of evolving economic and social landscapes.

Notwithstanding all talks to move towards policies chiefly designed to increase the EU’s economic competitiveness, this Commissioner will need to ensure that employment policy stands its ground to maintain and further social fairness and worker rights. An economy should serve the people, not the other way around.

Political guidelines: Ambitious goals needed

The last term, from 2019–2024, has seen the adoption of important new EU legislation on, for instance, minimum wages, fair work in platforms and pay transparency. What remains? Von der Leyen’s political guidelines for 2024–2029 underscore the need for a resilient and competitive EU.

But in terms of employment policy, these objectives are more aspirational than concrete. While it is encouraging to see a forthcoming Quality Jobs Roadmap and a renewed Action Plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights, there is a clear need for these overarching goals to be filled with specific, ambitious and actionable steps.

The Quality Jobs Roadmap foresees initiatives for “fair wages, good working conditions, training and fair job transitions for workers and self-employed people, notably by increasing collective bargaining coverage.” The Action Plan to implement the Pillar of Social Rights would “include initiatives looking at how digitalisation is impacting the world of work, from AI management, to telework and the impact of an ‘always on’ culture on people’s mental health.” What will this entail, concretely? Are talking about binding legislation or soft law?

It is vital that the Roadmap and the Action Plan will do more than simply outline broad principles. They must set measurable targets, deadlines and clear mechanisms for monitoring progress. They must address ongoing concerns, such as precarious employment and inequalities in access to opportunities, by ensuring that every worker in the EU can benefit from fundamental rights such as fair working conditions and access to lifelong learning. And they must lead to hard legislation and investments in the Member States. After all, let us not forget that the implementation of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights needs one thing in particular: money. This is essential not only for fostering economic growth but for ensuring that the EU′s labour market is competitive without sacrificing social rights.

Priorities for independent trade unions in Europe

For independent trade unions in Europe, united in the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, the objectives are clear, as set out in its EU 2024 Elections Manifesto.

First, we need an inclusive social dialogue and trade union pluralism as fundamental components of the EU′s employment framework. Transparent, inclusive and strong social dialogue is necessary to put and maintain the workforce on equal footing in a changing world of work. All workers, particularly those in precarious or underrepresented sectors, must have a voice in shaping policies that affect their livelihoods.

Second, we need to further build the Acquis of the EU, within the remit of its competencies, through binding legislation, in order to foster quality jobs and working conditions. Non-binding recommendations are rarely fully implemented by the Member States. Binding rules must span to:

· concrete measures to attain the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights, accompanying the Green Deal. As we move ever further towards climate-neutral policies, strong social flanking measures must prevent that workers are left behind and displaced.

· new rules to patch loopholes in EU law that still provide for precarious work. For instance, abusive fixed-term chain work contracts must be prohibited, and unpaid post-curricula traineeships banned.

· revised directives on public procurement and concessions and the EU regulations on State Aid to make the application of criteria for decent work in public procurement and State Aid procedures obligatory — No more public spending for enterprises that do not respect core labour law.

· binding minimum standards on the digitalisation of working environments to ensure that digitalisation processes are done with workers and not to workers. They must include minimum standards on mobile working and home office as well as a right to disconnect and rules for the use of worker-friendly artificial intelligence on the job and the protection of privacy from undue digital surveillance.

· in an EU Single Market with free movement of labour, measures to set the frame for ethical, sustainable and fair labour migration within the EU and neighbouring countries and help balance out push and pull factors of labour migration and address its complex and diverse socio-economic consequences.

And third, we need investments — EU and national money. Only robust public (and private) spending will allow the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, above all those referring to social protection and inclusion, to be implemented. Only solid investments will allow us to reach the Pillar’s employment, training and poverty headline targets set for 2030.

Minzatu’s superportfolio: Forward or friction

Romania’s Roxana Minzatu has been designated the role of Executive Vice President of the European Commission in charge of a superportfolio that combines employment, skills, and education. As she will be grilled in the European Parliament on November 12, hopeful to be approved thereafter, it will be central to hear what she has to say on the above. If confirmed, it will be up to her to fill the EU’s employment policy agenda with life.

Could she succeed? By centralising employment, skills, and education under a single Vice President portfolio, she could arguably take a cohesive and integrated approach to preparing the EU′s workforce for the challenges of the future. However, there could be important inter-portfolio frictions looming: Spanish Commissioner-designate Teresa Ribera is foreseen to take a portfolio on clean, just, and competitive transitions — also as Executive Vice President, formally at par with Minzatu — and, as we all know, the impact of the green transition on labour markets and working conditions will be huge. In her mission letter to Ribera, Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that Ribera′s “role will be essential to ensure that Europe’s transition is for the benefit of people and their jobs, helping to boost our economy and industry and ensuring no one is left behind”.

Ribera, too, will have her hearing on November 12. Ensuring that Minzatu and Ribera’s portfolios complement rather than clash will be critical to the success of both EU employment during the next years.

By the end of the day, a lot will depend on the commitment and assertiveness of the actors in the new von der Leyen Commission. Both, Ribera and Minzatu, owe it to the EU′s (and all of Europe’s) workers. After November 12, we may know more.

#EuropeanCommission #WorkerRights #Employment #Labour #Digitalization