ETUC

09/10/2026

50,000 people took to the streets of Brussels this morning in the 20th month of action against the broadest attack at national level on wages and working conditions in recent memory.

08/10/2026

Europe's trade unions are standing with the workers of Spain in their fight for affordable housing.

The eviction of 87 year old Maricarmen Abascal resonated with millions across Europe. Maricarmen has tragically passed away but the fight continues in her memory.

Read more 👇 https://www.etuc.org/en/pressrelease/spanish-housing-fight-resonates-across-europe-say-unions

08/10/2026

The ETUC is calling on policymakers to learn from the social upheaval caused by the rushed enlargements of the past and ensure there are strong safeguards for workers’ rights to ensure future expansion benefits people not just markets.

It comes after the European Commission published a review of pre-enlargement policy which includes a proposal to integrate countries into the single market before they become EU members.

We have long reaffirmed our commitment to the goal of a united Europe, but stressed that further enlargement must not repeat past mistakes: it must deliver tangible improvements in the living and working conditions of all workers.

EU candidates must reach social standards before single market access: https://www.etuc.org/en/pressrelease/eu-candidates-must-reach-social-standards-single-market-access

07/10/2026

Today is the World Day of Decent Work and European trade unions say raising the quality of jobs is crucial to making Europe more competitive as well as improving the lives of working people.

Celebrated every year on October 7, this year’s World Day for Decent Work comes as the European Commission prepares to launch its Quality Jobs Act - as announced - before the end of the year.

All work should be decent work.
But for too many people in Europe today that is not the reality.

More than 16 million people in Europe today live in poverty despite being in work because of low pay. Most workers don’t receive training. Unregulated AI has robbed workers of their autonomy and is putting jobs at risk. Stress, burnout and other psychosocial risks are harming workers' health, with no specific EU law to prevent them. Opaque subcontracting chains are allowing criminal gangs to withhold wages and avoid social security payments, and workers at the end of these long chains are most exposed to accidents at work.

Faced with these huge and growing challenges in the world of work, it is clear that the Quality Jobs Act must include strong new laws and not only guidance that will be ignored by bad bosses.

The European Commission spends a lot of time talking about making life easier for companies.
It must not forget that the real driver of progress is people being able to live decent lives, with fair pay, secure jobs and time for their families. Europe will never win a race to the bottom on workers' rights.

The Commission must deliver a Quality Jobs Act this year with binding laws, not more empty promises.

Read more: https://www.etuc.org/en/World-Day-for-Decent-Work-2026

06/10/2026

European Parliament votes for legislation on work-related stress ✅

Stress and burnout are not personal failings. They are the result of relentless pressure, unmanageable targets and management by fear, insecure conditions made worse by an expectation of an always-on culture, and algorithms that monitor every move.

The law clearly protects workers from dangerous machines and toxic chemicals. It is long past time the law and practice protected all workers from dangerous ways of organising work. Nine in ten companies act on health and safety because the law requires it, which is exactly why voluntary guidance has failed.

The ball is now in the European Commission's court. The Quality Jobs Act must include a directive on psychosocial risks. Anything less would let down the workers whose health is paying the price.

Read more:

The European Parliament has today thrown its weight behind the trade union campaign for binding EU legislation on psychosocial risks needed to prevent thousands of illnesses and deaths.

06/10/2026

Trade union leaders from across Europe have vowed to redouble their efforts to defeat the far-right after a visit to Utøya island where 69 people were killed in a far-right terror attack.

Our Executive Committee today adopted a statement pledging to fight the far-right “with the same conviction that brought young people to that island in 2011: the belief that a fairer, more equal, more democratic society is possible.”

The meeting in Oslo, hosted Norway’s three main trade union confederations, , and , comes after a visit on Monday to Utøya, where union leaders took part in a wreath-laying ceremony and commemoration of those who lost their lives.

“We have come to Utøya to remember,” says the statement. “But memory carries a responsibility. At a time when democracy is under pressure and hatred is gaining ground, remembering must lead to action. Now is the time to stand up for the values we believe in.”

06/10/2026

📌Never again!
Union leaders vow to defeat far-right on Utøya visit ✊️

Trade union leaders from across Europe have vowed to redouble their efforts to defeat the far-right after a visit to Utøya island where 69 members of the Norwegian Labour Youth Organisation were killed in a far-right terror attack.

Our Executive Committee meeting in Oslo today adopted a statement pledging to fight the far-right “with the same conviction that brought young people to that island in 2011: the belief that a fairer, more equal, more democratic society is possible.”

"We stand together, organised in our trade unions and united with progressive forces, fighting for a better alternative. We organise. We build collective power instead of leaving people to stand alone.
We bring people together instead of tearing them apart. That is why those who thrive on fear and division see us as a threat, and that is why we will always stand at the forefront of the fight against the far-right" :

Trade union leaders from across Europe have vowed to redouble their efforts to defeat the far-right after a visit to Utøya island where 69 members of the Norwegian Labour Youth Organisation were killed in a far-right terror attack.

06/10/2026

We are calling for a clear and credible definition: Made in Europe should cover the EU and countries structurally integrated into the Single Market, including EFTA countries, candidate countries and the UK, where effective regulatory and social alignment is ensured.

Letting production from outside Europe qualify for "Made in Europe" public support would mean Europe subsidising its own deindustrialisation, trade unions are warning EU Member States ahead of tomorrow's discussion on the Industrial Accelerator Act.

The objective must be clear: public procurement and public support should be used to strengthen European productive capacity, accelerate decarbonisation and create quality jobs.

Read more:

Letting production from outside Europe qualify for "Made in Europe" public support would mean Europe subsidising its own deindustrialisation, trade unions are warning EU Member States ahead of tomorrow's discussion on the Industrial Accelerator Act. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is c...

30/09/2026

Yellow unions are a threat to quality jobs.

In Italy, while they are not representative of the workforce, these fake unions sign hollow collective bargaining agreements on behalf of workers, robbing them of pay and quality conditions.

An EU that stands up for quality jobs must end the scandal of yellow unions.

30/09/2026