European Economic and Social Committee
Almost one child in ten, in the world, is in child labour, many in activities that pose a constant risk or are detrimental to their health. The situation has been worsened with the COVID pandemic: while many schools moved to distant learning, almost half of the world has no access to the internet, leaving students even further behind. Deteriorating living and working standards, exacerbated by the pandemic, drive many of these children into even more dire situations.
On this 1st of May, we call for all workers, social partners, and policymakers in Europe to heed the call for a more social Europe, and to ensure that something as basic as work providing a living wage is enshrined in EU law and protected as much as any other fundamental right and freedom. This is the only way forward for a sustainable social, economic, and environmental future.
Today, workers all over the world will take the time to honour the memory of colleagues, both known and unknown, killed at work or who have died from a work-related illness. The EESC Workers' Group joins in this day of remembrance and supports the call from the international trade union movement that occupational health and safety must be given the status of a fundamental right by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Workers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) expresses its full solidarity and support to all Belgian workers taking part in the general strike on 29 March and their trade union confederations. We stand with Belgian workers taking action to defend their right to decent pay, including higher minimum wages for the lowest paid workers.
The European Commission's proposal for a directive on adequate minimum wages has sparked controversy among member states and social partners alike across Europe. This controversy is mirrored within the EESC, which adopted this week an opinion favourable to the directive.
Does it make sense nowadays to celebrate the 8th of March as International Women’s Day? It’s been over 110 years since Clara Zetkin proposed to establish Working Women’s day, and more that 40 years since the United Nations declared the International Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. Societies have evolved in the past century. Women can vote, have their own passports, study, become Prime Ministers, go to the moon, decide if and when to get married and/or have kids, women and men are equal before the law. So, what’s the point? The point is that even though on the surface everything looks right, we still have underlying social, cultural and legal barriers that prevent women from thriving.
Today the European Commission has published the Action Plan on how to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights. 'The EESC Workers' Group welcomes the proposal and hopes very much that it will deliver social progress. The Action Plan for the EPSR must have concrete and ambitious short, medium, and long terms measures and legislative initiatives, as well as a sufficient budget', said Oliver Röpke, President of the EESC Workers' Group.
APPEAL TO THE EPSCO COUNCIL MINISTERS
Make the European Pillar of Social Rights to materialize in tangible rights
