The negligence of the European Union, national governments, and industry leaders in enhancing the quality of life for average workers has been cited as a driving force behind the surging support for far-right movements throughout Europe, according to a trade union forum discussing the fate of collective bargaining in Dublin.
German Christian Democratic Union MEP, Dennis Radtke, mentioned that the alienation many German labourers, especially those in the previous East Germany, felt due to a perceived failure by the political and economic elites led to their support for the right-leaning AfD party.
Radtke outlined certain initiatives such as the EU’s Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, which recommends significant expansion of collective bargaining, as attempts to stem this trend and urged both the Government and employers in the nation to consider these measures.
He reminded top representatives from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions along with numerous major members that Germany, home of the social market economy, had seen its collective bargaining coverage drop to 50 per cent. In parts of eastern Germany, he added, the coverage is considerably lower.
Radtke pointed out the ensuing politic and social fallout as well as the ease with which issues such as immigration can exacerbate the situation. These developments, he said, were evident not just in Germany but in a number of European Union member states.
In stark terms, Radtke highlighted the scale of low-income employment in Germany, stating that 8.5 million people work for €14 or less per hour whilst 5.5 million subsist on minimum wage.
Radtke illustrated the worrying trend with election results, where the political “blue” of the far-right AfD signifies its position as the top choice for workers across Germany, particularly in East Germany.
Reflecting the thoughts of recently retired Dutch MEP Agnes Jongerius, who was once a trade union leader and is also known for supporting the directive demanding governments to encourage collective bargaining if it involves less than 80% of the workforce, were the remarks of a union champion. This condition is currently not satisfied in Ireland, where the number of workers falls under half of the required percentage.
Jongerius highlighted that if the aim is to garner the support of working individuals for economic collaboration, Ukraine’s conflict and the shift towards a more eco-friendly economy, these individuals have the right to question “what’s in it for me?”. Hence, the rights of workers have become a pressing issue in the European agenda.
The introduction of protections for trade union shop stewards in the workplace is among the steps that the unions hope to see the Government adopt when the directive is implemented later in the year, according to Owen Reidy, Ictu general secretary. He confessed that since employers groups believe that it is not necessary to change the legislation to accommodate the provisions, it appears less plausible that the suggestion for a “good faith engagement” system – a part of a report by Government-supported Labour Employer Economic Forum – will be enacted.
“We will need to strategize and prepare for this,” Reidy mentioned, asserting that Ictu might contemplate informing the Government to Europe, taking legal measures, and withdrawing from all State-backed entities meant to encourage social dialogue if the transposition doesn’t fulfill what is legally obligatory.