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For “a fairer Europe for workers”, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) presented its priorities on standardisation and its actions with this respect:
- Maintain an in-house ETUC competence centre on standardisation, coordinating and pooling trade union knowledge and expertise in the area;
- Following an ETUC evaluation, agree a new Framework Partnership Agreement with the Commission and EFTA;
- Watch over and contribute to the drafting of those European (and international) standards that could affect working conditions and ensure that standards bring about the highest quality working conditions and respect social dialogue and collective agreements.
- Participate at policy and technical level to ensure that European (and international) standards shall not encroach on labour laws, collective agreements and collective bargaining;
- Build standardisation capacity amongst the (national) trade unions, including via the expansion of a network of trade union experts;
- Contribute to standardisation bodies where the ETUC and its affiliates can actively participate (e.g. CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, ISO, IEC);
- Avoid the transfer of standard-setting activities to standardisation bodies that trade unions have no influence over (e.g. labelling organisations, certification bodies, closed consortia, industry bodies, etc.);
- Promote a reflection on whether there is a need for an (ETUC) social label, with underlying criteria (set by trade unions) as well as on better workers’ participation in the audit process of ISO 45001 on ‘Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems’.
