Public service workers deserve democracy at work too!

Democracy at work

(26 November 2020) Today, Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU general secretary, took part in webinar jointly organised by the ETUC /ETUFs and MEP Gabriele Bischoff, in the framework of the action week for more democracy at work. During the webinar, participants gave evidence and presented specific cases which demonstrate the need for EU level action on democracy at work. MEPs, unionists and European Works Council (EWC) representatives discussed the necessary initiatives to ensure that workers’ rights are respected in restructuring processes and to strengthen European legal framework on democracy at work and restructuring. The petition ‘More Democracy at Work is a must!’ was handed over to MEPs.

In his intervention, Jan Willem Goudriaan addressed the need to ensure information and consultation rights for all workers, including those in the Public sector who are often excluded. He raised the case of ORPEA, a French multinational company providing care services, which has continuously undermined the information and consultation rights of its workers.

Jan Willem highlighted the need to close the gaps in information and consultation rights between workers in the private sector and those in the public sector. Ensuring nearly 10 million civil servants and workers in central governments have the same EU legal protection on information and consultation rights as other workers is one of EPSU’s key aims in its ongoing court case against the European Commission. Implementing the social partner agreement which secures these rights as a directive, as EPSU is arguing for, would be a first step.

The Webinar was attended by various MEPs across the political spectrum and many union and EWC Representatives.