International financial investors and corporations are gaining ground in areas of critical infrastructure such as care, healthcare and housing. At a recent event, the trade union organisation Uni Global Europe drew attention to the dangers posed by private equity investments to the security and quality of supply and to employees. The new study by the Austrian Chamber of Labour was also presented at the event, underlining the need for effective early warning systems and protective measures.

In recent years, transnational corporations and financial investors have been capturing more and more areas of social infrastructure. Profit-maximizing business models – in particular profit skimming, tax avoidance and “cherry picking” – pose a risk to general welfare as well as to the stability of society and the economy.

The Brussels Offices of the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK EUROPA) and the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) are pleased to invite you to the joint event "75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - How can we put an end to products of forced labour?"

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is currently being negotiated in trilogue between the EU-Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. Companies will be obliged to identify, eliminate, prevent, mitigate and account for adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their business activities in their global value chains. While positive effects on workers and communities, especially in the Global South, are widely undisputed, the expected economic effects of the Directive have been discussed controversially. 

On 16 October 2023, the responsible committees of the EU Parliament overwhelmingly adopted their position on the planned ban of products made in forced labour on the Union market. In addition, MEPs propose significant improvements and advocate for compensation for forced labourers and a reversal of the burden of proof. It is now important to ensure that the negotiations in the Council also proceed quickly so that the legal act can be adopted before the end of this legislative term.

New reports on key jobs were presented at a joint event of Eurofound and the International Labour Organisation. It became clear that the social undervaluation of essential work, on which we all depend, requires action. A re-evaluation of this work and more investment, especially in the health infrastructure, are crucial. The working conditions of these jobs must improve significantly.

It is common practice within the EU for people to travel, live, work or be posted by their employer to another EU country. However, cross-border digital evidence, for example with regard to health care, pensions or family benefits, is not yet universally possible. Therefore, at the beginning of September, the EU Commission presented instruments in a new Communication with which it would like to enable faster and easier digital access to social security services.

On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, Commission President von der Leyen delivered the annual State of the Union (SOTEU) address at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg. The last SOTEU in this legislative period before the upcoming EU elections in June 2024 focused on green transition, artificial intelligence (AI) and enlargement. The social perspective was addressed with individual important points, for example with regard to the role of the social partners. However, overall it fell too short.

The Brussels Office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK EUROPA) and the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS) invite you to the joint film screening of the movie "FOR THE MANY - The Vienna Chamber of Labour".

Together with civil society organisations and trade unions, in this open letter AK EUROPA points out elements that are essential to make the proposed Forced Labour Regulation efficient, implementable and above all, impactful to address forced labour meaningfully. Those elements need to include, amongst others, remedies for all workers, protection for complainants and lower evidentiary standards.