EFFAT European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions

10/08/2026

Blatant violations of labor law repeatedly occur in European fields,. Yet subsidies continue to flow, says taz, reporting on the story of Waseem, Ullah, Amin and Safi, the four migrant agricultural workers burned alive by their gangmasters in Calabria this summer.

EFFAT's call remains clear:

-We 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 binding legislation on fair working conditions across subcontracting chains and labour intermediation.

-We 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 strengthened #𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 in the , so that subsidies are finally tied to respect for workers' rights and EU taxpayers' money contribute to better rights and conditions for the workers who put food on Europe's tables.

https://taz.de/Ausbeutung-von-Migranten-in-Italien/!6196812/

Enrico Somaglia

In Kalabrien werden vier Erntehelfer getötet. Der Landwirt, auf dessen Hof sie tätig waren, kann trotzdem weiter auf fette EU-Subventionen hoffen. Wie kann das sein?

30/07/2026

‼️ 5.000 OSH violations, but only one sanction under Social Conditionality!

✊️ Social Conditionality could be a powerful tool for raising labour standards, but it needs to be properly implemented and enforced.

It causes zero paper work, which farmers themselves admit...

❌️ Against this, the German Federal Ministry for Agriculture's position to abolish Social Conditionality is totally unjustified and would be a political mistake, emphasises Ivan Ivanov, EFFAT's Political Secretary for Agriculture.

🔗 Watch the entire report here: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/report-mainz/agrarbetriebe-muessen-eu-subventionen-selten-zurueckzahlen/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzIzMzk2NjE

23/07/2026

🚨Out now:

'Climate change and workers’ health: Protecting workers against heat and other climate-related hazards' by Marouane Laabbas-el-Guennouni (ETUI) and Andreas Flouris (University of Thessaly)

🥵The report, co-published by European Trade Union Institute - ETUI , EFFAT, European Public Service Unions (EPSU) & EFBWW outlines a set of evidence on as a serious workplace hazard: no longer just a risk during extreme heatwaves, rather a recurring reality for millions of indoor and outdoor workers across Europe across many sectors including agri-food and tourism

📈Severe health and economic impacts outlined in the report underpin our joint call for serious and prompt binding legislation to protect vulnerable workers & safeguard productivity against rising temperatures at work.

Download or order your copy here 🔗 etui.org/4f6

🎙️ And have a listen to the dedicated episode of etui.podcast, 'Voices on the world of work' where Ivan Ivanov, EFFAT Agriculture Sector Secretary speaks about the risks connected to heat in agriculture and explains why binding legislation at the level is key to protect all workers

🔗 creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/etui/

15/07/2026

- Time for EU binding legislation on maximum working temperatures at work NOW!

Unions across Europe are calling on governments to introduce legislation to safeguard workers from rising temperatures, after western Europe recorded its hottest June on record.

14/07/2026

LIVE ON TRT World, our Ivan Ivanov, EFFAT policy officer for the Agriculture Sector, on our European Trade Unions' Fight for Heat Protection at work.

Comprehensive proposals to guarantee worker safety, while also protecting productivity and competitiveness are at the heart of our Model Directive on Maximum Working Temperatures.

Extreme heat kills nearly 19,000 workers each year and causes almos...

10/07/2026

⚠️Despite it applies across the vast majority of Member States only since 2025, #𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤.

💵Public funds should 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 subsidise violations of workers' rights.

Yet social conditionality - the rule linking payments to basic labour protections - is being targeted for removal, on the back of myths that don't hold up.

Let's set the record straight and debunk these fake and misleading arguments 👇

‼️We will not surrender to the dilution of a landmark fight: one that gave the CAP a long-overdue sense of dignity and respect for labour rights.

📽️Enrico Somaglia, EFFAT General Secretary | 𝟒 𝐌𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐕𝐒 𝟒 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬

#𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

08/07/2026

🔴 on the The Guardian

EFFAT, European Public Service Unions (EPSU) & EFBWW made headlines today calling for binding legislation on occupational heat.

European Trade Union Institute - ETUI report’s evidence is impossible to ignore. Across Europe:

🔴130 million workers face dangerous heat exposure annually
🔴230 preventable deaths occur every year
🔴current protections amounting to little more than guidelines and employer goodwill

Workers are out there. Suffering heat related stress during their shifts. This is happening as we speak. Every summer.

Enrico Somaglia EFFAT General Secretary, is clear on what's needed:

"Climate change is no longer a distant environmental challenge. It is a daily occupational health and safety risk, as well as a threat to job stability. The current European legal framework is clearly not sufficient. We need dedicated EU binding legislation that shifts us from an emergency-based approach to a preventive one."

Heat stress harms both workers and businesses, causing serious yet avoidable impacts on health, safety, and productivity.

Workers should not have to choose between their health and their paycheck. The time for binding legislation is now.

Read the full story: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/08/unions-europe-worker-protections-heat-stress-climate-crisis

#𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐓𝐨𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤

Climate crisis prompts calls for workplace temperature limits and rights to heat breaks and adjusted working hours

03/07/2026

𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬' 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

EFFAT warmly congratulates FNV Vakbond, CNV for securing a landmark collective agreement for Dutch dairy workers. After strike action forced genuine negotiations, workers have won:

✅ 6.8% wage increases over the course of 2 years.
✅ €250 one-time payment
✅ Extended vitality protections
✅ Work-life balance guarantees
✅ Stronger union presence in workplaces

This agreement demonstrates the power of collective action and mobilisation. When workers organise, they win.

EFFAT stands in solidarity with Dutch dairy workers!

03/07/2026

01/07/2026

Public procurement should deliver public value, not a race to the bottom!

Catering workers across Europe are making their voices heard, calling for fairer public procurement rules that put quality jobs, decent working conditions, and sustainable services at the heart of public contracts.

❌️ Too often, contracts are awarded based on the lowest price alone, creating downward pressure on wages, job security, and service quality.

This approach not only affects workers but also impacts the millions of people who rely on catering services every day in schools, hospitals, care homes, and public institutions.

Public money should support employers who:
✅ Respect workers' rights and collective bargaining.
✅ Provide fair wages and decent working conditions.
✅ Deliver high-quality, sustainable food services.
✅ Invest in people not just the cheapest bid.

🔗 Read our article on the workers' rally in Paris today: https://effat.org/in-the-spotlight/catering-workers-take-to-the-streets-for-fairer-public-procurement/