Trade unions also ensure more social policies at the EU level

On May 1st, unions in several German cities will mobilize for good working conditions. They have also achieved a lot in Europe – despite resistance.

For a long time, “social Europe” was primarily a pleasant phrase in Sunday speeches. Because Brussels has little to say in social policy; the member states are largely responsible for that. But the EU is moving, and that sometimes surprises even experts – such as Tania Bergrath, who heads the office of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) in Brussels.

According to her, a few years ago no one would have thought that the European minimum wage directive would be a success in this legislative period. It was decided in autumn 2022. The regulation cannot oblige member states to introduce a minimum wage. But EU countries that already have one, like Germany, must create a framework for this and regularly adjust minimum wages. Governments should draw up plans to increase employee collective bargaining coverage to 80 percent.

“Not an economic wrecking ball”

Negotiating wages is and remains the responsibility of the local collective bargaining parties. But bringing more companies into collective bargaining agreements – this can be initiated from Europe, explains DGB representative Bergrath. In the minimum wage debate, she incorporated experiences with the German model in Brussels: “We have seen in Germany that this is not an economic wrecking ball that will bring something down, but that, on the contrary, it strengthens employment relationships, that it is always just a ripcord “We were able to enrich the discussion in Brussels with national examples.”

The DGB also did this in the debate about the supply chain law, for which, like the minimum wage regulation, there was already a German model. Last week, the EU Parliament passed the supply chain directive. Accordingly, companies must prove that they do not benefit from exploitation such as child or forced labor.

Short-time working allowance based on the German model

MEPs also approved the law for more rights for platform workers. Employees of Uber, Lieferando, Deliveroo and Co. should be treated like normal employees. Social Europe is taking shape – and has been for years. Here too, it seems to be true that Europe develops primarily in crises. In any case, experts see the social achievements as a reaction to economic downturns and the corona pandemic. In order to mitigate the consequences for employees, the EU introduced the SURE short-time working allowance – based on the German model.

The biggest transformation is still ahead of Europe – towards a climate-neutral economy. In Brussels, Dirk Bergrath from the European representation of IG Metall is making sure that employees are taken along: “On the one hand, this is about the future of industrial policy in Europe and, on the other hand, specifically about the effects of the CO2 limits for cars on jobs.”

umbrella organization negotiated

IG Metall is committed to ensuring that works councils are heard when the EU Commission decides on company mergers – or to ensure that EU state aid law does not stand in the way of supporting companies. German unions do not negotiate directly with the Commission and the EU Parliament. The trade union umbrella organization ETUC does this on their behalf. It must combine the interests of the very differently organized unions from the 27 member states.

At the 50th anniversary a year ago, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the role of ETUC in the social market economy: “In some parts of the world, the economy is solely about maximizing profits – pure capitalism. Here in Europe, on the other hand, the workers also have to do the same how society as a whole can benefit. There is a clear understanding among us that it is perfectly fine to make a profit, but everyone must get their share.”

Close contact with EU representatives

Members of the pro-European factions in the EU Parliament share this belief – contact with the unions is close. The Christian Democrat Dennis Radtke sits on the parliament’s social committee. According to him, the trade unions in Brussels are actively influencing and were able to achieve a number of things in the current legislative period.

According to SPD MEP René Repasi, the challenges are not getting any smaller: “We have now got better wage agreements because of inflation. That will change, and then unions will have to be particularly strong in order to continue to enforce collective wages. And then we have to at the European level also come to protect collective agreements.”

So there remains enough to do for politicians and trade unions in the member states and at the European level in the next legislative period. It is precisely the commitment to a social Europe that brings the EU closer to people, says Tania Bergrath from the DGB in Brussels: “I think this will be more communicable and clear if you can show concrete examples from the world of work that relate to the reality of people’s lives do have.”