Members of the European Parliament from 5 different political groups want to only allow public contracts to go to companies that have collective agreements with their workers. Cleaners, call centre workers, nursing home workers, security guards and other essential workers would stand to benefit most from this measures.
“Public contracts should not go to companies that seek a competitive advantage by suppressing workers’ say and driving poverty wages and sub-standard working conditions. Decent pay and working conditions are in the public interest,” reads the MEPs’ declaration.
€2 trillion is spent every year by governments and public institutions across the EU for goods and services delivered by private corporations. The rules which determine how this money is spent have a direct impact on working people’s conditions. “That is 13% of the EU’s GDP. This money can be used as a force for the good”, explained MEP Agnes Jongerius.
Currently however, this money often fuels the race to the bottom. The EU’s public procurement rules are skewed to favour price over all other considerations. Alarmingly, over half of all public contracts granted by EU governments are allocated solely on the basis of lowest-price. This means quality of service or people’s working conditions are not even considering. “Too often, the working people who actually do the work are the ones who pay the price,” commented MEP Dennis Radtke.
Under these circumstances, corporations consistently turn to undercutting workers’ conditions by suppressing their say at work. This has fuelled the fact that cleaners, call centre workers, nursing home workers, logistics and postal workers, security guards are among the lowest paid and most precarious in the EU.
The group of MEPs are calling for a clear political undertaking by the European Commission for this simple change now, followed by a swift legislative initiative. This echoes a call by 106 trade unions earlier this year. Among the 152 MEPs are Iratxe Garcia Perez, President of the Socialists & Democrats group, Philippe Lamberts, co-President of the Greens/EFA, and Manon Aubry and Martin Schirdewan, co-Presidents of the Left GUE/NGL.
“These changes would deliver huge improvements for essential workers. Public procurement rules have set the scene for the proliferation of cut-throat competition. This is driving poverty pay as well as unsafe staffing levels and chronic equipment shortages. There is a heightened recognition of the essential nature of the work these people do. Now is the time for the EU to take action to ensure working people can live in dignity while delivering quality services,” said Oliver Roethig, Regional Secretary of UNI Europa.
For more details and an overview of some case studies, UNI Europa has also today released an accompanying snapshot report entitled Put your money where your mouth is.
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List of MEPs who have signed:
- Agnes Jongerius, Netherlands, Socialists & Democrats
- Marianne Vind, Denmark, Socialists & Democrats
- Leïla Chaibi, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, Denmark, Greens/EFA
- Cindy Franssen, Belgium, EPP
- Katrin Langensiepen, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Ibán García del Blanco, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Nikolaj Villumsen, Denmark, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Estrella Durá Ferrandis, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Ernest Urtasun, Spain, Greens/EFA
- Andreas Schieder, Austria, Socialists & Democrats
- Sira Rego, Spain, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Manuel Pineda, Spain, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Eero Heinäluoma, Finland, Socialists & Democrats
- Kim van Sparrentak, Netherlands, Greens/EFA
- Gabriele Bischoff, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Tiemo Wölken, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Marc Tarabella, Belgium, Socialists & Democrats
- Clare Daly, Ireland, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Sara Matthieu, Belgium, Greens/EFA
- Mounir Satouri, France, Greens/EFA
- Anna Cavazzini, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Marc Botenga, Belgium, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Saskia Bricmont, Belgium, Greens/EFA
- Kathleen Van Brempt, Belgium, Socialists & Democrats
- Özlem Alev Demirel, Germany, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Malin Björk, Sweden, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Manon Aubry, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Anne Sophie Pelletier, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Romeo Franz, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Alexandra Geese, Germany, Greens/EFA
- María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop, Spain, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Rasmus Andresen, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Niklas Nienaß, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Evelyn Regner, Austria, Socialists & Democrats
- Theresa Reintke, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Erik Marquardt, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Sirpa Pietikäinen, Finland, EPP
- Sylvie Guillaume, France, Socialists & Democrats
- Jens Geier, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Heidi Hautala, Finland, Greens/EFA
- Ignazio Corrao, Italy, Greens/EFA
- Pedro Marques, Portugal, Socialists & Democrats
- Manuel Pizarro*, Portugal, Socialists & Democrats
- Predrag Fred Matić, Croatia, Socialists & Democrats
- Chris MacManus, Ireland, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Alviina Alametsä, Finland, Greens/EFA
- Maria Noich, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Isabel Carvalhais, Portugal, Socialists & Democrats
- Paul Tang, Netherlands, Socialists & Democrats
- Alícia Homs Ginel, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Jutta Paulus, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Hannah Neumann, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greece, The Left – GUE/NGL
- César Luena, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Marie Toussaint, France, Greens/EFA
- Philippe Lamberts, Belgium, Greens/EFA
- Lina Galvez, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Delara Burkhardt, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Margrete Auken, Denmark, Greens/EFA
- Daniel Freund, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Marisa Matias, Portugal, The Left – GUE/NGL
- José Gusmão, Portugal, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Cyrus Engerer, Malta, Socialists & Democrats
- Alfred Sant, Malta, Socialists & Democrats
- Tomas Waitz, Austria, Greens/EFA
- Johan Danielsson*, Sweden, Socialists & Democrats
- Sara Cerdas, Portugal, Socialists & Democrats
- Alex Agius Saliba, Malta, Socialists & Democrats
- Raphaël Glucksmann, France, Socialists & Democrats
- Evelyne Gebhardt*, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Aurore Lalucq, France, Socialists & Democrat
- Martin Häusling, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Tsvetelina Penkova, Bulgaria, Socialists & Democrats
- Reinhard Bütikofer, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Niels Fuglsang, Denmark, Socialists & Democrats
- Hannes Heide, Austria, Socialists & Democrats
- Cornelia Ernst, Germany, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Mick Wallace, Ireland, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Günther Sidl, Austria, Socialists & Democrats
- Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Ireland, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Vera Tax, Netherlands, Socialists & Democrats
- Manuel Bompard*, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Yannick Jadot, France, Greens/EFA
- Pierre Larrouturou, France, Socialists & Democrats
- Milan Brglez, Slovenia, Socialists & Democrats
- Dennis Radtke, Germany, EPP
- Irena Joveva, Slovenia, Renew
- Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Damien Carême, France, Greens/EFA
- Giuliano Pisapia, Italy, Socialists & Democrats
- Brando Benifei, Italy, Socialists & Democrats
- Joachim Schuster, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Daniela Rondinelli, Italy, Indepedent
- Christel Schaldemose, Denmark, Socialists & Democrats
- Cristina Maestre, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Pierfrancesco Majorino*, Italy, Socialists & Democrats
- Elisabetta Gualmini, Italy, Socialists & Democrats
- Iratxe García Pérez, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Monika Vana, Austria, Greens/EFA
- Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, Portugal, Socialists & Democrats
- Kateřina Konečná, Czech Republic, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Eleonora Evi*, Italy, Greens/EFA
- Helmut Scholz, Germany, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Martin Schirdewan, Germany, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Josianne Cutajar, Malta, Socialists & Democrats
- Tilly Metz, Luxembourg, Greens/EFA
- Anja Hazekamp, Netherlands, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Birgit Sippel, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Udo Bullmann, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- René Repasi, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Katarina Barley, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Ismail Ertug*, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Dietmar Köster, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Nora Mebarek, France, Socialists & Democrats
- Eric Andrieu*, France, Socialists & Democrats
- David Cormand, France, Greens/EFA
- Marie Arena, Belgium, Socialists & Democrats
- Mohammed Chahim, Netherlands, Socialists & Democrats
- Michael Bloss, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Thijs Reuten, Netherlands, Socialists & Democrats
- Lara Wolters, Netherlands, Socialists & Democrats
- Patrizia Toia, Italy, Socialists & Democrats
- Bas Eickhout, Netherlands, Greens/EFA
- Caroline Roose, France, Greens/EFA
- Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, France, Greens/EFA
- Claude Gruffat, France, Greens/EFA
- Irene Tinagli, Italy, Socialists & Democrats
- Michèle Rivasi, France, Greens/EFA
- Younous Omarjee, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Idoia Villanueva, Spain, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Miguel Urbán Crespo, Spain, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Marina Mesure, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Konstantinos Arvanitis, Greece, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Matjaž Nemec, Slovenia, Socialists and Democrats
- Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Finland, Socialists and Democrats
- Diana Riba I Giner, Spain, Greens/EFA
- João Albuquerque, Portugal, Socialists and Democrats
- Marc Angel, Luxembourg, Socialists and Democrats
- Jordi Solé, Spain, Greens/EFA
- Karen Melchior, Denmark, Renew
- Pascal Arimont, Belgium, EPP
- Martina Michels, Germany, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Tudor Ciuhodaru, Romania, Socialists & Democrats
- Manuel Ripa, Germany, Greens/EFA
- Sarah Wiener, Austria, Greens/EFA
- Bernd Lange, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Ana Miranda, Spain, Greens/EFA
- Silvia Modig, Finland, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Grace O’Sullivan, Ireland, Greens/EFA
- Clara Aguilera, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Carmen Avram, Romania, Socialists & Democrats
- Romana Jerković, Croatia, Socialists & Democrats
- Corina Crețu, Romania, Socialists & Democrats
- Theresa Muigg, Austria, Socialists & Democrats
- Emmanuel Maurel, France, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Karsten Lucke, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- François Alfonsi, France, Greens/ALE
- Tineke Strik, the Netherlands, Greens/ALE
- Francisco Guerreiro, Portugal, The Greens
- Monika Beňová, Slovakia, Socialists & Democrats
- Matthias Ecke, Germany, Socialists & Democrats
- Carina Ohlsson, Sweden, Socialists & Democrats
- Ilan De Basso, Sweden, Socialists & Democrats
- Malte Gallée, Germany, Greens/ALE
-
Ciarán Cuffe, Ireland, Greens-EFA
- Petros Kokkalis, Greece, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Alexis Georgoulis, Greece, The Left – GUE/NGL
-
Stelios Kouloglou, Greece, The Left – GUE/NGL
-
Elena Kountoura, Greece, The Left – GUE/NGL
- Marcos Ros Sempere, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Heléne Fritzon, Sweden, Socialists & Democrats
- Evin Incir, Sweden, Socialists & Democrats
- Erik Bergkvist, Sweden, Socialists & Democrats
- Jonás Fernández, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Nicolás González Casares, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
- Nacho Sánchez Amor, Spain, Socialists & Democrats
* These MEPs have signed the pledge but departed from the European Parliament during their term.
