INCLUSIVENESS MUST BE AT THE HEART OF

THE EUROPEAN PROJECT

At a time of multiple crises, the European Union’s founding aim bringing the peoples of Europe
closer together in solidarity, democracy and shared values is more relevant than ever. As the major
trade union federation representing workers across many areas of public services, EPSU calls on
the European Parliament to reinforce within the European project our shared values of solidarity,
equality, democracy and human rights. This will help Europe respond to common challenges and
counter the spread of far-right, nationalist ideology. EPSU is ready to work with all groups in the
new European Parliament that share these values and to build a Europe that delivers for the many
and not for the few.

TIME FOR PUBLIC SERVICES

Needs-based, universal, affordable, easily accessible and quality public services provide everyone
with protection in times of crisis. EU binding frameworks could set concrete objectives and targets
to improve public services at different levels based on public service values and principles of
equality, solidarity-based funding, democratic control, participation of workers and citizens, and
evaluation. Digitalisation should support this process. EU monitoring and support instruments
could be used to strengthen solidarity-based public services. The recent EP COVID-19 report goes
someway to learning the lessons from the pandemic, but it does not emphasise enough the need
for strong, coordinated, publicly-funded action to prevent and respond to crises. Quality public
administration, the rule of law, the fight against corruption, and the respect for human rights
frameworks are necessary ingredients. EPSU expects the European Parliament to oppose further
liberalisation of public services and to support the insourcing of public services, including at the
municipal level. We ask the political parties to commit to end the outsourcing of EU policy making
to consultants by the European Commission. The European Ombudsman has outlined the dangers
to the public of this practice. We ask the political parties to commit to build strong publicly-funded,
publicly-owned and democratically-run digital services.

NO FURTHER DEEPENING OF THE

SINGLE MARKET
30 years of the Single Market have shaped the EU social market economy. There are many
successes and nowhere other than in the EU is there a region with such a high level of cross-
border trade. We expect the European Parliament to shift away from promoting the free movement
of goods, capital, services as an endless pursuit and to focus on addressing pressing problems.
COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, rising inequality and worsening work conditions,
energy and food crises show that more government action and regulation are needed to protect
people. EPSU will work with MEPs that support the EU’s climate neutral, net-zero CO2 emissions
target in 2050. Mitigation is key. The priority should be supporting workers, communities and
public authorities to adapt to climate change through just transition measures, backed up by the
necessary funding for meaningful and climate-friendly jobs.
 PROTECTING PUBLIC SPENDING
AND INVESTMENT
Reforming the current financial system in Europe to allow the necessary borrowing to fund
social and productive infrastructure is needed for development within and outside Europe. A new
approach to debt and the financial architecture of social Europe is essential. Hand in hand with
this, the European Parliament should energetically support work on progressive, transparent
and efficient taxation, to stop tax avoidance by the rich and multinational corporations who hide
their wealth in tax havens yet demand austerity policies. Europe’s political parties are asked to
support legislation that says that social and environmental conditions, including on tax, must
apply to companies that receive public funding or public contracts. We ask the Parliament to
press all Member States to ratify ILO Convention 94 on social clauses in public contracts. Europe’s
public banks must promote such policies. We reiterate our long-standing call for a EU Financial
Transaction Tax (FTT) and for increased taxation on capital.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND

SOCIAL CARE
People rightly call for the EU and governments to prioritize public and not-for-profit health care
and social care. However public investment and spending are still being diverted to private health
and social care. Quality public care services are a double win for gender equality; improving the
jobs of the many women who work in public services as well as the services that many women
depend on. Especially in care work, Europe must aim for the collectively-organised, public
provision of services to those in need, and not promote individual employment arrangements that
can lead to exploitation and abuse. Strengthening our social protection systems so that they can
provide for all when in need is the right approach. We ask the political parties to commit to prevent
the commercialisation of health, long-term care and childcare services and work to strengthen the
provision of public health and care for all

ENERGY FOR ALL

The energy crisis has provided further evidence that energy liberalisation cannot deliver a just
transition that ensures access to clean affordable energy and an end to energy poverty. Efforts to
introduce windfall taxes have been met by fierce resistance from industry and the financial sector.
Building on the right to water and sanitation campaigns, Europe needs to reassert public control
over energy and rebuild a publicly-owned energy sector that is reliable and sustainable and to
guarantee that producing and distributing energy is a public service mission. At the same time
we need to do much more to reduce harmful consumption of energy. Just transition and climate
justice are part and parcel of national, European and global redistributive polices. We want political
parties to support windfall taxes, to strengthen public energy and to legislate on preventing water
disconnections.
 A FAIR DEAL FOR
EVERY WORKER
Recent years have seen workers and their unions begin to reassert their voice. The Parliament
should welcome this and support trade unions to ensure inclusive workplaces, higher wages and
develop and strengthen labour market regulation and collective bargaining. It is not acceptable
that low pay and poor working conditions are still tolerated, or that women or specific groups
face discrimination and violence. At EU level it is vital that trade unions can play their full role in
democratic policy-making, including by negotiating legislative agreements with employers, in
line with Article 155.2 of the Treaty. Expert groups, consultants, industry representatives should
not take our place and their public funding should end. Rights to information and consultation,
equality and non-discrimination, collective bargaining, workplace democracy, health and safety
and other employment protections should apply to all workers – without exception. Health and
safety is a top priority for Europe’s working people – we need a directive on psycho-social risks
that recognises the importance of ensuring sufficient staffing levels and strong action to tackle
growing work-related health threats. Full rights are needed for workers and people coming into
the EU. The fundamental right to seek asylum must be safeguarded. Safe, legal migration and
asylum channels to the European Union based on human rights, solidarity between EU Member
States and sufficiently staffed services that are charged with the reception and care of newcomers
are needed. We ask Europe’s political parties to commit to this fair deal.

About EPSU
EPSU represents more than 8 million workers from 270 unions across the EU and the wider
Europe region, who are active in:
• Public, non-profit/ social economy and private sector workplaces, including
multinationals
• Local and regional government, including firefighting, libraries, culture
• Health and social services, including healthcare, childcare, elderly care and home care
• Utilities and environmental services, including water and sanitation, energy
(renewables, nuclear, distribution and transmission), waste services (collection/sorting,
recycling and repair)
• National and European administration, including taxation, prisons, agencies such as
labour inspectorates, environmental protection, food and patient safety