European Economic
and Social Committee
By the EESC Workers' Group
This year, celebrating the World Day for Decent Work on 7 October was more relevant than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing flaws in our societies, particularly when it comes to decent work, pay and income. Yet again, certain people – who were already among the most vulnerable – have been disproportionately impacted: young people in precarious jobs, women overrepresented in the most affected sectors or staying at home to homeschool and care for family members, self-employed and platform workers, low-paid workers, migrants, and those in undeclared work.
On the World Day for Decent Work, the Workers' Group joined the ITUC and the ETUC in calling for a New Social Contract for Recovery and Resilience to counter the effects of the COVID-19 crisis in a sustainable way by finally responding to the needs of the people. A genuine renewal of the European project requires sound social investment to complement economic policies, focusing on the preservation and creation of high-quality jobs, fair pay and an end to precarious work.
The Commission must urgently resume the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and in particular with initiatives on fair minimum wages, minimum income, pay transparency, and strengthening occupational health and safety regulations. In this regard, collective bargaining and the interests of precarious and vulnerable workers must be guaranteed. It is also crucial to ensure fairness in the platform sector, which generates huge profits for companies while workers in this sector are in an extremely precarious situation in terms of their labour rights, wages and working conditions.