Frank Jones, General Secretary of IFUT, joined members of the IFUT UCC Branch Committee today at a trade union rally outside Cork City Hall, organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the European Trade Union Confederation, to highlight growing concerns about the proposed EU “28th Company Regime” (EU Inc.).
The demonstration, held outside the newly opened European Commission liaison office in Cork, forms part of a wider European trade union campaign to protect national labour law systems and established industrial relations frameworks.
Trade unions across Europe are warning that the proposed regime could allow companies to register in one EU member state while operating in another, potentially creating legal uncertainty for workers and their unions. There are also concerns that the initiative could weaken national rules governing redundancies and company closures, expand the use of company shares instead of wages, and undermine existing systems of worker representation at board level.
Speaking following the gathering, Frank Jones said that the trade union movement must remain vigilant in defending hard-won workers’ rights. “Trade unions across Europe have spent decades building systems of labour law and industrial relations that protect workers, ensure fair pay and provide a voice in the workplace. Any proposal that risks undermining these protections must be carefully scrutinised and robustly challenged.”
Mr Jones said that the strong turnout in Cork demonstrated the unity of trade unions across Ireland and Europe on the issue. “It was important that we gathered today in Cork to send a clear message. Workers across Europe stand together in defence of fair labour standards, secure employment and democratic worker representation.”
IFUT members joined colleagues from across the Irish trade union movement to underline the importance of ensuring that future European initiatives strengthen, rather than weaken, the rights and protections that workers rely upon.