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UNI Europa

UNI Europa is a trade union federation representing seven million service sector workers across Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Francesco Corti (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu)

15 Dec 2025 · EU initiatives on personal and household services

Meeting with Francesco Corti (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu)

28 Nov 2025 · Exchange about the Commission’s social agenda

UNI Europa Urges EU Delivery Act to Protect Postal Workers

6 Nov 2025
Topic — A new EU framework replacing outdated postal and parcel delivery regulations across Europe.
Message — The unions demand a unified regulation that includes parcels in the universal service obligation and bans subcontracting chains. They call for enforcing labor laws and collective agreements to stop precarious work.12
Why — The proposal would secure union jobs and prevent market liberalization from further eroding wages.3
Impact — Unregulated e-commerce operators lose competitive advantages gained through exploitative labor practices.4
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Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Oct 2025 · Public procurement

UNI Europa warns EU 28th regime revives Bolkestein's race to bottom

30 Sept 2025
Topic — EU proposal for new corporate legal framework to help innovative companies operate across borders.
Message — The union opposes the 28th regime, calling it a dangerous revival of the failed Bolkestein Directive that would allow companies to opt out of national labor standards. They warn it would create unfair competition and undermine collective bargaining across Europe.123
Why — Blocking this prevents erosion of national collective bargaining agreements and wage standards their members depend on.45
Impact — Workers in higher-wage countries face wage pressure as companies opt into lower European standards.67
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Meeting with Evelyn Regner (Member of the European Parliament) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

25 Sept 2025 · Debate 28th Regime

Meeting with Valentina Schaumburger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné) and European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions and

11 Sept 2025 · Public procurement of labor-intensive services in the view of the coming public procurement reform

Services union UNI Europa urges binding EU labor standards

10 Sept 2025
Topic — Consultation on the new Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Message — The federation demands the Quality Jobs Act include binding rules for collective bargaining and social public procurement. They also call for new EU directives to regulate workplace AI and manage mental health risks.12
Why — These measures would secure higher pay and better conditions for millions of service workers.3
Impact — Companies would lose the ability to use legal loopholes to bypass national labor protections.4
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Meeting with Henning Ehrenstein (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

24 Jun 2025 · Revision of the PP reform

Meeting with Dennis Radtke (Member of the European Parliament)

3 Jun 2025 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Eva Schultz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu) and European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions and

21 May 2025 · Meeting on personal and household services

Meeting with Pascal Arimont (Member of the European Parliament) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and European & International Booksellers Federation

14 May 2025 · Study afternoon on Amazon

Meeting with Leila Chaibi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and industriAll European Trade Union

13 May 2025 · EMPL file related

Meeting with Evelyn Regner (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Apr 2025 · General Exchange of Views

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

11 Apr 2025 · public procurement

Meeting with Regina Doherty (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

18 Mar 2025 · Public Procurement

Response to EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy

17 Mar 2025

UNI Europa welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the European Commissions initiative to develop an EU strategy for start-ups and scale-ups. As the European trade union representing service workers, we recognize the challenges these businesses face, including financial barriers, talent drain, and limited access to research and technology infrastructure. Addressing these issues is crucial for fostering sustainable growth. However, UNI Europa strongly opposes certain policy proposals that seek to harmonize labour laws across the EU. In particular, any attempt to introduce a 28th regime with a standardized labour law must be firmly rejected Our full reaction can be read attached
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Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

6 Mar 2025 · public procurement

UNI Europa urges social safeguards in Single Market services strategy

31 Jan 2025
Topic — Consultation on the 2025 Single Market Strategy to enhance cross-border services and competitiveness.
Message — The union requests that the strategy prioritizes quality jobs and sectoral collective bargaining. They demand that cross-border services comply with national labor laws to stop social dumping.12
Why — This would protect service workers' wages and prevent businesses from undercutting national labor standards.3
Impact — Businesses using low-road strategies lose the ability to gain market share by cutting costs.4
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Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament)

27 Jan 2025 · Upphandlingsfrågor

Meeting with Jana Toom (Member of the European Parliament)

27 Jan 2025 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Roxana Mînzatu (Executive Vice-President) and

14 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views on the social justice and quality jobs crisis Europe is facing Necessary initiatives to deliver quality jobs Improved working and living conditions in the European Union

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

12 Dec 2024 · public procurement

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament)

3 Dec 2024 · Exchange of views

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

28 Nov 2024 · public procurement

Meeting with Pierfrancesco Maran (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Nov 2024 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Hanna Gedin (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Oct 2024 · Workers rights

Meeting with Kim Van Sparrentak (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Oct 2024 · Demonstration fair wages

Meeting with Leila Chaibi (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Oct 2024 · Breakfast - Public procurement

Meeting with Liesbet Sommen (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Sept 2024 · Public procurement

Meeting with Branislav Ondruš (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Sept 2024 · Strengthening collective bargaining

Meeting with Kateřina Konečná (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Sept 2024 · Introduction of political priorities

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Sept 2024 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Per Clausen (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Sept 2024 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament)

21 May 2024 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Mar 2024 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament) and Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl

20 Feb 2024 · Amazon lobbying

Meeting with Daniela Rondinelli (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Jan 2024 · Various

Meeting with Cindy Franssen (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Jan 2024 · Public procurement and collective bargaining

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Jan 2024 · Public Procurement Directive, European elections

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

19 Oct 2023 · Public procurement directive

Response to Adjusting size criteria for inflation in the Accounting Directive to define micro, small and medium-sized enterprises

2 Oct 2023

UNI Europa would first like to object to the short period of only three weeks for this consultation, as this gives too little time for a proper discussion in many organizations that would like to respond. UNI Europa opposes the 13 September 2023 European Commission proposal to adjust upwardly the size criteria for micro, small, medium-sized and large undertakings or groups. Particularly concerning is the proposed adjustment to the definition of large undertakings, which would reduce the number of companies in this size category according to the EU Accounting Directive by almost 12,000 (i.e. 14% of the universe of large companies). The thresholds defined in the EU Accounting Directive are crucial for determining what kinds of information companies have to publish. In particular, the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive defines a set of reporting requirements which apply to large EU undertakings. If implemented, this adjustment would result in a significant reduction in the number of undertakings that would have to report under the CSRD. According to official EU statistics, only 36% of employment in the EU is accounted for by large enterprises. The proposed adjustment would reduce the percentage of employees covered even further. It is not acceptable that reporting on environmental and social impacts and on human rights due diligence policies and practices be restricted companies that account for less than one third of total employees in the EU. UNI Europa therefore urges the European Commission to reconsider this proposal and not adjust the size thresholds. Sustainability reporting should apply to the broadest possible universe of companies, and this change would clearly be in contradiction to this goal. Furthermore, no changes should be made in the future which would reduce the universe of undertakings obligated to report under the CSRD by adjusting the employment size criteria to more than 250.
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Meeting with Agnes Jongerius (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Sept 2023 · Staff level: Social policy, public procurement

Meeting with Mairead McGuinness (Commissioner) and

18 Jul 2023 · Distribution of Retail financial products

UNI Europa demands mandatory social reporting in sustainability standards

7 Jul 2023
Topic — New EU rules specifying sustainability reporting standards for environmental, social, and governance factors.
Message — UNI Europa demands that reporting on collective bargaining and social dialogue remain mandatory for all organizations. They also request the inclusion of non-employee workers and the removal of employment thresholds for country-level data.123
Why — These standards would provide unions with consistent data to fight greenwashing and monitor working conditions.4
Impact — Large companies using outsourced labor lose the ability to avoid transparency regarding precarious employment.5
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Meeting with Margrethe Vestager (Executive Vice-President)

5 Jul 2023 · future of the EU

Meeting with Agnes Jongerius (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Jun 2023 · Meeting with Cleaners

Meeting with Ilan De Basso (Member of the European Parliament)

2 May 2023 · Strengthening collective bargaining through public procurement

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Apr 2023 · Public procurement directive

Meeting with Agnes Jongerius (Member of the European Parliament)

27 Mar 2023 · Public Procurement

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

16 Mar 2023 · CMRD6

Meeting with Estrella Durá Ferrandis (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and World Employment Confederation-Europe

8 Feb 2023 · European Semester for economic policy coordination: Employment and social priorities for 2023

Meeting with Lara Wolters (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

26 Jan 2023 · Final conference of Human Rights Due Diligence Cross-Sectoral project - Panel discussion: Trade union/company exchanges on human rights due diligence and implications for effective legislation

Meeting with Nikolaj Villumsen (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Jan 2023 · The european labour market

Response to Strengthening social dialogue

13 Oct 2022

UNI Europa, the European Services Workers Union, reaffirms the need for a strong, timely and meaningful social dialogue (SD) at all levels. SD, where it has been respected, has played a central role in safeguarding the jobs and safety of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and it has facilitated a safe return to workplaces. The green and digital transitions require workers’ voices to be heard, and SD and collective bargaining (CB) are essential to ensure a just transition. The Commission Communication and Council Recommendation should forge SD into the DNA of how the EU and its institutions and member states respond, develop and implement policies and actions. This means guaranteeing the respect of trade union prerogatives, ensuring timely and meaningful involvement of social partners in policy making, and recognizing the fundamental role of CB as an integral part of SD. 1-The process As regards the process, in particular the call for evidence, UNI Europa stresses that the Better Regulation rules should not apply to SD. As such, a call for evidence on this initiative is neither necessary nor appropriate. It is imperative that the fundamental principles of consulting and involving social partners in an appropriate manner are respected. This public consultation is not in line with these fundamental principles. Lastly, this process cannot be considered a sufficient consultation of social partners on the matter of collective bargaining, which was not covered in the scope of the social partner consultation on social dialogue from January 2021. 2-Collective bargaining (CB) The strengthening of CB is an absolute priority for UNI Europa and requires decisive legal and non-legal action. To reach 80% CB coverage, the EU should focus on the services sectors which has particular challenges, resulting in currently lower coverage rates. These include difficult access to workers in dispersed workplaces, closer monitoring from supervisors, remote work, atypical working hours, lacking SD tradition and precarious working conditions. Parallelly, multi-employer and sectoral bargaining needs to be (re)established and strengthened. For this, the EU should focus on capacity building of social partners on the sectoral level and create a conducive legal framework in terms of bargaining, organizing and strike actions for multi-employer and sectoral bargaining. One direct way in which CB and trade union organizing should be stimulated is through public procurement. The current EU rules should be adapted so that democracy at work (union organizing, CB) becomes a possible and obligatory precondition for public contractors. No public contract without a collective agreement. CB is based on strong trade unions. To reverse the decreasing trend in union membership, obstacles to union organizing should be removed and union membership should be promoted through dedicated funding programmes. In all this, the EU should respect national specificities and the autonomy of the social partners. 3-Social dialogue UNI Europa reiterates the 9 points in the joint ETUF position in March 2022, about establishing a clear and functioning process as part of the European Commission Review of Sectoral SD. UNI Europa reiterates the 11 points from joint letter of the social partners in the services sector from January 2021. Both attached. 4-Non-exhaustive measures to strengthen CB and SD at national and EU levels - European ombudsman or special representative for SD on the national level - Establishment of EU SD fund, which should go broader than the ESF plus fund and the funds should be accessible for the implementation of autonomous agreements. - There should be a system of seconded national experts to include social partners - A SD expert should be attached to each DG - Industrial relations indicators should be included in the European semester - SD should be part of the impact assessment
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Meeting with Marc Tarabella (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Sept 2022 · Public procurement

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

8 Jul 2022 · European Care Strategy.

Meeting with Elisabetta Gualmini (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Youth Forum and

12 Apr 2022 · 2nd roundtable on platform work directive

Meeting with Agnes Jongerius (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Oct 2021 · Amazon & Minimum wages directive

Meeting with Agnieszka Skonieczna (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

30 Sept 2021 · Sustainable Corporate Governance

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

19 Jul 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the digital transition sector.

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

19 Jul 2021 · Skills Roundtable on Digital

Response to Electronic instructions for use for medical devices

24 May 2021

On behalf of UNI Europa Graphical & Packaging: We are very concerned about the way in which the narrative promoting digital media has been introduced at all levels by identifying the use of paper with a higher environmental impact, without taking into account the contribution of forest-based industries to the sustainability of European forests and the protection of biodiversity, or the commitment to the circular economy of the paper industry, while minimising the environmental impact of digital communications, similar to that of the sum of all airlines on the planet put together (Wissner-Gross, 2018). This tendency to demonise the use of paper leads to the destruction of quality European jobs, with a high density of collective bargaining and to jeopardise the sustainability of European forests by limiting their profitability, favouring large technology companies, most of them from outside the EU and with a long tradition of tax engineering to avoid paying taxes in the EU. As for the substance of the proposed regulation, we understand that it will mean a small economic and logistical saving for the producers of medical devices, but we do not see so clearly the benefit for the user, especially in an issue as sensitive as medical devices. On the one hand, far from extending the availability of information, it limits it to the availability of additional computer equipment and internet connection. On the other hand, although the regulation requires producers to keep manuals available for up to 15 years after the product has been withdrawn from the market, this is impossible to guarantee in the event that the company disappears, which could render valuable medical equipment unusable for not having provided an inexpensive paper document along with it. If the aim is to improve the transmission of information, it seems to us much more appropriate to use digital manuals as an additional guarantee, rather than as a substitute. In sum, in our opinion, there are practical, social, environmental, and economic reasons that discourage the adoption of this regulation, and we urge the European Commission not to contribute to the demonisation of paper in the pursuit of the digital agenda.
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Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and EuroCommerce and

15 Apr 2021 · Skills roundtable with the retail sector

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

15 Apr 2021 · Pact for skills roundtable with the retail sector.

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

11 Mar 2021 · Meeting on strengthening sectoral social dialogue and the European Pillar for Social Rights Action Plan.

Response to Collective bargaining agreements for self-employed – scope of application EU competition rules

3 Feb 2021

UNI Europa is the European trade union federation for the services sectors and represents 7 million service workers and 272 national trade unions in 50 countries including all EU member states. Our member unions organise, represent, and collectively bargain for workers, including self-employed workers of various sectors and professions. We welcome that the European Commission is considering an initiative that could bring an end to the legal uncertainty that continues to hamper the efforts of self-employed workers to associate freely and to collectively bargain. Any future instrument aiming to ensure that EU competition law does not stand in the way of collective bargaining must fully implement the principles of the fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining to all workers, regardless of their employment status including all genuine self-employed and non-standard workers without excluding certain professions or sectors (segments). The scope of action should be limited to rule that collective bargaining and collective agreements including for self-employed workers are not subject to competition law – without exception and needs to ensure full respect national industrial systems and collective bargaining practices. Among the four options presented only option 4 contains a non-discriminatory, non-arbitrary approach that would ensure that all solo self-employed workers could have access to collective bargaining eliminating legal uncertainty and put an end to the chilling effect of the current situation. All solo self-employed providing their own labour through digital labour platforms or to professional customers of any size would have access to collective bargaining. Under this option, “all solo self-employed" should refer to genuine self-employed workers who are predominantly providing their own labour. In the services sector this includes self-employed workers who have made capital investment in equipment and other assets to provide their labour. Options 1, 2 and 3 all fall short of the crucial test whether an instrument could ensure that all workers in the EU can exercise - without discrimination and freely - their fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining. Option 1: The scope and solution proposed is too narrow and would deny self-employed workers that are not engaged via platforms the right to collective bargaining. This is an arbitrary solution ignoring the fact that most self-employed workers who are not engaged through platforms face the same issues as platform workers. Quite frankly, they have been waiting for and pleading in court with national and EU authorities for a solution for a long time. It is neither sustainable nor fair to create labour markets via an instrument where different rights and working conditions apply depending on whether a worker has been contracted online or offline for effectively the same job. Furthermore, it is important to underline the unsolved problem of bogus-self-employment caused by platforms. Most workers on platforms are not genuine self-employed workers but bogus-self-employed workers. Option 2: While this option would achieve at first sight an inclusive approach covering all self-employed workers, it would de facto exclude many self-employed workers from the right to collectively bargain as most companies in the EU are SMEs. Within SMEs, most companies are small or micro enterprises including in the services sectors. Option 3: Under this option, self-employed exercising regulated/liberal professions would not be covered by the initiative. The Commission argues that regulated/liberal professions are often perceived as not being in a position of weakness. Perception is not an acceptable criterion to determine a policy option. Moreover, its discriminatory to exclude people from the right to collective bargaining belonging to a specific profession.
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Meeting with Andrea Nahles (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit) and Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund and

12 Nov 2020 · Social dialogue

Response to Sustainable corporate governance

8 Oct 2020

UNI Europa, the European Services Workers Union and EU sectoral social partner, welcomes this initiative. This is joined by UNI Global Union, the global trade union federation for the skills and services sectors. This feedback responds to the proposal of a due diligence duty. Further information including on the other components of the initiative is included in the attached document. We have felt the impact of the pressure for short-termism and the corporate failures to address human rights impacts. We support the introduction of a European directive on mandatory human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct to address these issues. We have worked extensively both together with multinational businesses and holding them to account on their global human rights’ impacts. We will be providing examples of lessons from this experience as a resource for the Commission. Based on this experience, we make the following specific calls for the directive: Companies covered The directive should cover all companies which are established or active in the EU, regardless of sector, size or legal form. Much of the due diligence debates have focused on issues in the value chain of sectors considered high risk such as mining or manufacturing. However, we have also observed widespread and persistent serious human rights issues within companies’ own global operations in the service sectors. As such, it is critical that the initiative cover all sectors. It must also recognise the need for due diligence requirements to apply to a company’s own operations, including their own employees, outsourced workers, and to corporate subsidiaries or joint ventures. Importance of freedom of association and collective bargaining The directive should cover all human rights. Within this, it is critical that the fundamental labour rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining are recognised as central components. These rights are fundamental rights in international standards, including as core ILO conventions. In addition to being fundamental rights, they are considered enabling rights, as respecting these rights often leads to fulfilling other human rights. The ability for workers to freely organise themselves into a trade union and collectively bargain provides workers a means to monitor and protect their human rights’ when states or businesses may be unable or unwilling to do so. Involvement of trade unions in the process To ensure that the initiative is effective, it is essential that workers, worker representatives, and trade unions at national, European and global levels have an integral role in the due diligence process. They have a stake in companies and their long-term success beyond the role of other stakeholders. They also have expertise that can strengthen the due diligence process from in-depth understanding of their companies’ practices and labour rights risks. This should include: • the right for trade unions at the national, European and global levels to negotiate with the company over the due diligence policy and process; • the right for workers’ representatives to be informed and consulted throughout the process; • an early alert mechanism should be developed in partnership with the trade unions at the national, European and global levels in the companies concerned. Effective remedy and meaningful enforcement Effective remedies and access to justice must also be available for victims, including trade unions. Steps to improve access to justice should be incorporated, such as fair rules on disclosure of evidence. Given the failure of a voluntary approach, the directive must ensure meaningful punishments and enforcement to create accountability. This should include a range of consequences including exclusion from public support. A strong liability regime must be introduced for cases where companies fail to respect their due diligence obligations, without prejudice to joint and several liability frameworks.
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UNI Europa demands worker protections in digital platform regulations

30 Jun 2020
Topic — The EU is proposing ex ante rules for very large online platforms.
Message — The union wants the new rules to formally recognize the employer responsibilities and employment relationships of digital platforms. They request that workers have the right to collective bargaining and access to the data they generate.123
Why — This would strengthen the union's ability to negotiate better wages and conditions.45
Impact — Large platforms would lose the financial advantage of misclassifying staff as self-employed.6
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UNI Europa urges DSA to protect platform workers' rights

30 Jun 2020
Topic — New EU legislation aims to harmonise the responsibilities of online platforms.
Message — The federation insists that the DSA must address employer responsibilities and employment relationships. It is imperative that labor conditions are recognized on equal footing with other platform obligations. Furthermore, workers require data transparency and the right to collective bargaining.123
Why — This would stop the misclassification of workers and support trade union representation.45
Impact — Giant platforms would lose competitive advantages gained through monopolies and unregulated data.67
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Response to Review of the general product safety directive

25 Jun 2020

To the extent that this evaluation Roadmap addresses Cosmetic products as part of the The General Product Safety Directive, UNI Europa Hair & Beauty would like to raise concerns over the risk assessment methodology of the SCCS which authorises, after assessment, the placement of cosmetic products in the EU market. The methodology of the SCCS weighs in heavily on a consumer use of cosmetic products, whereas we have evidence that a professional use of these products increases significantly the health risks of the workers using a cocktail of products everyday. If the evaluation Roadmap addresses specifically market authorisation processes of cosmetic products then we would like to highlight the need to urgently review the methodology for market authorisation and prioritise an evaluation of the risks and hazards from an occupational health and safety perspective rather than the consumer angle. Regarding the Options, UNI Europa Hair & Beauty would favour a holistic approach as described under Option 4. Such an approach would bring about legal clarity by mainstreaming all relevant legislative instruments addressing the issue of product safety. A final comment concerns the possibility through online means today for any EU citizen or resident to purchase online, outside of the EU market, aggressive cosmetic products with dangerous mutagenic, allergenic and carcinogenic faculties such as keratin-based hair dyes. The evaluation Roadmap should aim at amplifying and better enforcing market surveillance capacity of national authorities to limit the entry of such hazardous products in the EU market. Should this evaluation Roadmap effectively address Cosmetic products and their Regulations, UNI Europa Hair & Beauty demands an formal consultation of the dedicated Sectoral Social Dialogue for Personal Services.
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Response to Report on the Application and Evaluation of the Postal Services Directive

18 Mar 2020

We reaffirm the crucial role postal services play as services of general economic interest. They are a vector of democracy and guarantee the fundamental right to communication as a basic need of EU citizens. The Postal Services Directive (PSD) promised increased quality; greater efficiency and better customer-orientation; lower prices; stronger growth to create more and better jobs. These have not come to pass. Competition in the letters markets is limited to profitable areas only. Liberalisation exacerbated the capacity to sustainably finance the Universal Service (US). Faced with letter volume decline, posts diversified. These generated different financial realities with different market shares in the e-Commerce parcels markets. Competition in parcels is based on price and not quality. Competition is almost exclusively based on wages. Market failures are observed in last-mile parcels delivery, as postal operators and parcel providers do not abide by similar labour regulations. Postal markets were disrupted by eCommerce growth. Postal companies prepared for competition through restructuring; outsourcing, franchising and new subsidiaries; new technologies; downsizing the network; new forms of employment. Cost-saving measures had negative implications for service quality. Citizens spend more time and travel farther to access postal services. Social and territorial cohesion is losing importance and affordability comes at the cost of lower quality. Postal liberalisation resulted in significant job losses. Part-time work is the norm and the use of subcontractors and self-employed workers increased. To be competitive in the growing parcels sector, postal companies use low labour-cost models, employment cuts, freeze wages, reduced pay and create new job categories. Any revision should enact a fully-fledged citizen right to consume postal products (letters and parcels) based on an informed choice. This choice is informed when all market players abide by similar rules, which is currently not the case. In assessing the relevance and EU added value of the PSD, it is of utmost importance to consider how far the US mission to benefit the citizens and the consumers is met. Particular attention should be placed on vulnerable users. Market operators ought to compete within a regulatory level-playing field that abides by social and environmental standards and does not engage in a race-to-the-bottom. The scope and quality of universal postal networks must be maintained and enhanced. In many parts of Europe, notably rural areas, postal services are the only means of communication and social inclusion. The crucial role of posts in promoting social and territorial cohesion must be upheld. The PSD revision must ensure a full citizen right to regular and affordable parcel delivery at uniform prices in a national territory. This requires strong market regulation that guarantees good working conditions, decent wages, and high quality of service. National regulators could be made responsible to ensure that all market operators comply with minimum social and environmental standards. The recent Regulation does not address the instances of unfair competition. We call for quality of service indicators to reflect an expansive definition of the US. The definition of the US at minimum must be maintained at EU level to ensure the relevance of the PSD in the internal market for postal services and allow an EU added value. Instances of unfair competition must be impeded by upholding fair practices in terms of labour conditions, environmental performance and quality of service. All market players involved in US provision must contribute to its financing. Companies must not be able to cherry-pick only profitable areas. Delivery has a price. Free delivery advertisements create market distortions. Liberalisation must include social cohesion measures to ensure decent wages and good working conditions for all market players involved in the postal supply chain.
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Meeting with Michele Piergiovanni (Cabinet of Commissioner Margrethe Vestager)

25 Jul 2019 · Development of digital world

Meeting with Pierre Moscovici (Commissioner) and

24 Jul 2019 · Impact du numérique sur la fiscalité

Meeting with Marianne Thyssen (Commissioner) and EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION and

23 Nov 2018 · Collective rights

Meeting with Elina Melngaile (Cabinet of Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)

18 May 2018 · Sustainable Finance and Fintech

Response to Review of the European Supervisory Authorities

23 Jan 2018

As previously stated by UNI Europa Finance (UEF), we welcome the work by the Commission in fine-tuning the practicalities around the ESAs and their mandates. Having read through the documents accompanying the ESA review, UEF would like to highlight the following points. To UEF, the expanded mandate of ESMA seems like a good idea, especially in regard to the supervision of ESG implementation. Concerning convergence of supervision between the ESAs, it is important that this does not lead to over regulation nor the inability of countries to decide on stricter national rules. In UEF’s opinion, maintaining the possibility for countries to implement stricter rules internally should not be prevented as it would not jeopardise the stability of the financial system. This also extends to labour relations, where the ESAs in any case have no mandate in regulating. As has already been raised by UEF in several occasions, the ESAs should not on their own, nor at the behest of the Commission, seek to limit the possibilities of social partners to conduct collective bargaining in the different countries. Concerning the stakeholder groups present in each of the ESAs, it is important that a balance is struck ,when selecting new candidates, between expertise and representativeness. While it is important to have stakeholders with sufficient knowledge in the field to be able to follow the discussions in the meetings, it is also important that the bar for expertise requirement is not set so high that no candidates can be found outside of the industry. In connection with this point, it is also UEFs suggestion to reformulate the maximum timespan allowed as member of the SMSG to maximum of 8 years, rather than the current formulation of 2 mandates. If the wording “maximum two mandates” is kept, that would exclude members of the current stakeholder groups, who are in their second term, from the possibility to reapply, although they have completed only 2x 2,5 years = 5 years. With “maximum 8 years”, they could reapply or serve as replacement for another 3 years. That would enhance the continuity, be particularly useful for stakeholders (other than experts) and hence be to the benefit of the stakeholder group as a stakeholder group rather than an expert group. We would also suggest that an ad hoc procedure is provided to this effect, in case the new legislation is not yet finalized at the time of the renewal of the stakeholder groups. Staying on the subject of the stakeholder groups, it is still UEFs opinion that a reshuffling of the amount of mandates given to each interest group could be beneficial. As it stands, the industrial side still holds a significant portion of seats. Increasing the number of seats allocated to other interests, among them trade unions and consumer representative organisations would go a long way to ensure legislation being beneficial for all parties involved. As far as employee representations is concerned, we believe that our contribution has been particularly useful on the following issues: (i) issues that had to do with knowledge and experience requirements of staff, as well as training; (ii) issues that had do with the implementation ‘on the field’, a reality check extending beyond ICT concerns and including issues referring to staff (iii) issues referring to remuneration; incentives, targets (iv) discussing priorities for supervisory convergence. We would like to stress that we consider ourselves to be independent of any other stakeholder group, be it the industry or the consumers. So to summarise, it is the hope of UEF, that the Commission will take this opportunity to make the ESAs even more representative of all the different stakeholder views and will create a structure that has a clear mandate within which to operate, in order to avoid resources being spent on forays into legislative areas where the European institutions have no established mandate.
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UNI Europa urges rejection of flawed non-personal data proposal

22 Jan 2018
Topic — A consultation on a framework for the free flow of non-personal data.
Message — UNI Europa recommends the total rejection of the legislative proposal. They request that GDPR protections be applied to all forms of data.123
Why — Rejection avoids unnecessary compliance burdens and preserves workers' rights to data insight.4
Impact — Workers lose protections against discriminatory HR processes and automated managerial decisions.56
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