Esther Lynch is Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). ETUC is the largest trade union organization in Europe, representing around 45 million workers (93 trade union organizations in 41 European countries).
Voxeurop: How can we analyze abstention rates in past EU elections in relation to the level of inequality in Europe?
Esther Lynch: that much European Parliament pre-election poll Workers are most likely to prioritize eradicating poverty, quality public services and job creation. But it also showed that they were much less likely to vote than their bosses. Ensuring that workers participate in European elections is key to ensuring that Europe acts on its priorities.
Over the past 40 years, in almost all Western European countries, we have witnessed a shift in class-based voting. The working class is starting to vote right. Is the left to blame? The issue of labor and working conditions is at the core of this problem. What can we say about the situation in Europe today?
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Research from the Hans Bockler Foundation found that people who are dissatisfied with their pay and working conditions and have little say over their jobs are more likely to be vulnerable to far-right messages. In contrast, better working conditions build trust in democratic processes and institutions. Another study (The Political Costs of Austerity, 2022) shows that the far right has been the main beneficiary of austerity policies that have destroyed collective bargaining wages and working conditions.
The rise of the far right is a backlash against neoliberal policies that have weakened our social model. So this is not just the responsibility of the left. All democratic forces have a responsibility to rebuild security and hope by providing decent jobs, higher standards of living, improved public services, and a just transition where workers have a say, so that no worker or community is left behind.
Over the last two or three years we have seen. New interest in labor unions In Europe. Workers everywhere took to the streets. whether they are or not farmerFactory workers, healthcare workers…. What can we say about working conditions in Europe today?
Blatant unfairness lies behind growing social unrest in all sectors of the economy. One of the main demands of the farmers’ protests was to seize the power of multinational corporations within the sector, as these companies lower agricultural prices to the detriment of wages and working conditions. This is a very familiar experience for those who work in Amazon factories.
We must raise standards in all sectors of the economy. Just as the U.S. Biden administration proposed an inflation reduction law, social conditions should be attached to public funds.
Currently, family farms are being asked to do more to receive public funding than multinational corporations like Amazon, which continue to award contracts without competition or based solely on the fact that they offer the lowest price.
Businesses should not receive public funds unless they are acting in the public interest. We must negotiate appropriate wages and working conditions with the labor union and reinvest profits to create jobs and increase productivity.
what is the future social europe?
During the campaign I was repeatedly asked whether these results meant that social progress would be more difficult to achieve in the next term. These outcomes make social progress more urgent than ever, and the democratic majorities still exist to make it happen.
But those in power should not take for granted that workers’ support for Europe will continue unless they transform Europe and deliver on workers’ real priorities. In the words of former Commission President Jacques Delors, our goal must be to ensure that people on the streets can enjoy the everyday experience of a real European society before the next European elections.
