Speeches

Mr President, I think we should say that since the war in Ukraine energy prices and food prices are going through the roof and people struggle to make ends meet while Putin is cutting off gas supplies to entire countries and capitalists make profits by speculating on markets and thereby hurting millions of households. And like I said, people making ends meet are in trouble to make ends meet while companies benefit with huge profits. So we need to have a profit windfall tax and use the profits from this tax to mitigate the social consequences of rising energy prices and inflation. We need to coordinate European action now to avoid a crisis in this winter, and I think we cannot wait until the social climate fund is in full action. We need action now. We have a European solution in the SURE instruments and we need to extend this programme to help households and companies to survive the winter. I am urging the Commission, the Council, together with the social partners, to take the lead. Please present a minimum income schemes directive as soon as possible and explore the possibilities of energy price caps for basic consumptions for households so no one is left behind. We need to be bold and we need to tackle the crisis now. Hats on!

President. Nine out of ten employees experience stress in the workplace. The mental health crisis is a silent killer that has been able to operate undisturbed in Europe for many years. And the pandemic has only worsened the situation. The line between work and private life has blurred, leading to more stress, more burnouts and more depression. I think we should say that we are in a health crisis, and nothing is happening. European intervention is necessary. Words are no longer enough. The Commission should: come up with a guideline, protect workers from stress and end the health crisis! Mental health is a human right. Let's give it the priority it deserves.

Mr President, you would have hoped that it would not be necessary to ban forced labour, and not only out of moral decency, but also because nearly every country in the world has ratified the ILO Forced—Labour Convention. But as everyone before me has already explained, a trade instrument to ban forced labour is urgently needed. Look at what’s happened in Qatar and look at what is happening in China. President von der Leyen announced such an instrument almost a year ago in her State of the Union, and nevertheless, we are still waiting. The longer we wait, the higher our expectations become. We do not want a proposal with legal and technical loopholes that companies could slip through, and I therefore call upon the Commission to finally show some ambition. Companies will only change their business model when faced with consequences. People must be put before profits.

Madam President, dear Commissioner, it was only yesterday on 17 May that Maksim Poznyakov, vice-president of the Belarusian independent trade union, the BKDP, was arrested by the Belarusian state authorities – and he was only elected four days ago to replace the colleagues who were already in jail. I think we see a pattern here. Over the past few months, trade union leaders in Belarus have been arrested. Their headquarters have been searched and their members are being spied upon. This is an attack on all Belarusian workers and a violation of their rights. The freedom of association and the right to organise are non—negotiable. And therefore, we call for the immediate and unconditional release of all leaders and members of the trade unions in Belarus and for all charges against them to be dropped.

Mr President, colleagues. The title of the debate is ‘the social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine’ – and, of course, the consequences in Ukraine are huge. But I think we should also be clear that the war in Ukraine plunges us also into a new social economic crisis, and with skyrocketing energy prices, with deep—diving purchasing power and increasing inflation, I fear that the most vulnerable will bear the burden. And the question should be then, I think, what route are we going to take? It’s our duty that the stronger shoulders bear the heaviest burden while standing up against Putin and standing in solidarity with the Ukraine. In this crisis, we need to address the root causes of long—term economic and social imbalances. I think it’s time to break the vicious circle of raging inequalities and privilege for the super rich. There are many things to fix, and those who are increasing their profits exponentially and indecently are the ones to pay the price first. Therefore we need more than just an extension of the escape clause. We need a European solution. We need money to accommodate refugees from Ukraine. We need support for the citizens and small businesses for rising energy prices. Madam Minister, I think we should not talk about energy poverty any more. We are talking about actual poverty, people who cannot pay their bills anymore. Therefore my proposal is to organise a social summit with the social partners to tackle the challenges of increasing inflation, increasing inequalities and its social consequences, especially on living conditions and wages. We need to update the action plan of the social pillar. We need European action.

Mr President, Commissioners, in recent days there have been really horrific images from Ukraine. Where the Russian army was expelled, images of destroyed villages, cities and murdered Ukrainians, scattered through the streets, popped up. Nearly four million Ukrainians have fled the country and half of them are children. We cannot leave them out in the cold. They deserve more than good words. They deserve more than statements of support. They deserve even more than a fine resolution from the European Parliament. They deserve our support, they deserve action, because the risks remain high even outside the war zone. Poverty, exclusion and exploitation are lurking, including in the European Union, and a swift and targeted approach is therefore needed. The European Social Pillar is crystal clear. Social inclusion and protection are crucial and the urgency of the Porto objectives has only increased and increased. We agreed in Porto to fight poverty and enable inclusion. It must be time to deliver now. Europe must show unitedly that we do not forget the Ukrainian children. They must be sure of good education, decent housing and good care, with sufficient attention to trauma processing. It is now up to the Member States to show that they want to invest in the future of Ukrainian children and that they are investing in structural aid. Because Europe as a safe haven requires not only words, but above all actions.

President, sustainable, green, conscious, recycled polyester ... When you walk through a clothing store, these terms appear more and more often on labels and posters. And if you then walk out of the store with your purchase in a recycled plastic bag, it almost feels like responsible. Almost, because those hundreds of certificates that claim to be green are actually almost always disappointing. It is almost never green and the conditions in which people work are from indecent to life-threatening even, in some cases. And if we look at what people earn to work in such circumstances, it is certainly not living wages. Not in Southeast Asia, not in Europe or on the edges of our continent. And this exploitation behind a facade of fake sustainability must come to an end. It is high time to put an end to the proliferation of certification that takes place in the sector. It is actually just cheating at the expense of those who do want to do decently, and at the expense of people and the environment. I don't think you can say anything but that this is going to hurt everyone. Both the consumer who wants to do good and the small emerging decent alternatives that are being competed away by the larger brands with their greenwashing. I think it's time for action, action against greenwashing, action before a sustainable sector, which benefits people and the environment instead of being the victim of it.

Madam President, not even a year ago, government leaders of Europe came together in Porto and made a solid declaration to make concrete steps towards a more social Europe. This promise must be reflected in the European Semester. We should not use the old recipes now that the war in the Ukraine plunges us in yet another social economic crisis. Not only the defence capacity, energy dependency or the economic robustness is at stake but also the well—being of people, including the Ukrainian refugees who are welcome in Europe. With skyrocketing prices of energy and with deep-diving purchasing power, I fear the most vulnerable will bear the burden. It’s our duty to ensure that everyone contributes a fair share – also the well—to—do, also the multinationals. The question is, how is Parliament going to deal with these questions? We should not retreat on our ambitions. Social standards are not red tape. The European Semester process must be giving equal importance to economic, social and environmental policies. We must ensure a sustainable future for people in Europe. The governance architecture of the EU must be based on solidarity, on fair distribution of wealth and on making quality jobs a reality. This battle must be won to overcome the current crisis in the long run.

Mr President, the question is: ‘Do you want to be paid with a book voucher at the end of the month?’ The answer to that, of course, is that no one wants to. For work, you just have to get a salary. It is still too common for trainees to be employed as permanent employees without being rewarded or paid so little that ultimately only young people with money or with wealthy parents can put an internship on their CVs. There is no doubt that trainees should be paid for their work so that traineeships are accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of the wallet. After all, with experience alone, you can't pay bills. Let's just call the beast by its name: Unpaid traineeships are a form of labour exploitation and a violation of young people’s rights. Prohibition is the only way to improve the employment situation of young people. It is high time to break the vicious circle of unpaid internships, precarious work and youth unemployment.

Mr President and President Macron, I am pleased that we agree on at least one important priority, and that is higher minimum wages across Europe. And that means, in my opinion, not non-committal recommendations, but real European rules of the game, so that all Europeans have an adequate wage to participate in decent shopping. You indicated that you have no time to waste and we therefore expect you to adopt ambitious positions on the key Fit for 55 proposals before the summer. And one thing doesn't fit in there. It has already been said today, but to label gas and nuclear as sustainable, that is really not possible. Don't risk our Green Deal to score some political points at home. And chairman, finally, oil stains, child labor, poor working conditions... It is clear that we must tackle wrong companies, and therefore not a postponement, but a proposal to make companies responsible for their chain and a mandate from the Council on this point.

Mr President, today we have this meaningful vote because we are voting on the mandate to start negotiations with the Council and the Commission on decent minimum wages and strengthening collective bargaining. I speak here today also on behalf of my co-rapporteur Dennis Radtke. The proposals of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) will improve the lives of millions of workers in Europe. For the people who work in shops, in logistics, in cleaning and in agriculture, we can make a difference today. On the one hand, we are ensuring that statutory minimum wages must be adequate and must provide for a decent standard of living, and, on the other hand, we are strengthening the position of social partners and collective bargaining throughout Europe. The directive is catering for the national traditions and labour market models all over Europe. We are not imposing a statutory minimum wage on any Member States. On the contrary, we have added extra safeguards for the Nordic models. Yesterday, in COREPER, they managed to find a compromise, and today I think it’s our turn. So put a plus on the report and let’s start trilogue negotiations. It’s a plus for those people who work hard and still cannot make ends meet. So, on behalf of Dennis Radtke and myself, I urge you to vote in favour.

President. The European summit will be dominated by the ruling of the Polish court. And let me be cold and ready: Kaczyński and his friends must be hit where it hurts them the most. Therefore, the PvdA’s appeal to the Commission – which the Dutch Government will also bring to the Council: See if European funds can be withheld, but continue to support human rights organisations in Poland, for example. Mr President, if you have to make ends meet every month, you may find climate change worrying, but you are mainly concerned with paying the increased rent, the care premium and the energy bill. Therefore, make sure that the low and middle incomes in Europe can participate in the transition. And let us not allow ourselves to be held hostage in Europe by Putin or people who use the high energy bills to do nothing about climate change.

Mr President, exposure to asbestos is the number one cause of work-related cancers in Europe. Although asbestos is no longer produced and can no longer be used in Europe, the harmful substance is still present in many buildings. This puts millions of workers at risk. With the European Green Deal and the Renovation Wave, we will be greening millions of buildings, and that is good news. But we must avoid this wave of renovation putting the health and lives of an entire generation of workers at risk. That is why we need strict rules to better protect workers, because there is no safe level of asbestos. The limit value for exposure to asbestos should be significantly lowered. The Commission can now prove that it is serious about ‘Vision Zero’ in the area of work-related deaths. No job is worth dying for.

Mr President, Commissioner, in Porto all those Heads of State came together and solemnly declared that they would work towards a more social Europe. They agreed on social targets and they agreed to talk to each other at the highest level about progress. It is high time to put these agreements into practice. If we want to get through the corona crisis and also make a fair climate transition where really no one is left behind, then we have to invest in people. The National Recovery Plans and the Green Deal should therefore contribute to achieving the goals of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Lower minimum wages? That is a short-sighted recipe from the previous crisis and that cure did not work at the time. So that never again, not every job is sufficient! We need a strategy for good work with control over your work schedules, with a good collective agreement and a salary that you can make ends meet. That should be the commitment for every national recovery plan. While the current Dutch Minister of Finance shamelessly avoided tax, other member states that saw this tax revenue siphoned away were forced to break down their social services. Never again! We must do everything in our power to end tax avoidance. But we also need to improve the social protection of platform workers and put an end to the gender pay gap. Give older people a view of new work, give young people a perspective on an affordable home and support people with a disadvantage in order to flourish in the labour market. Then we can be sure that Europe works for them too.

Mr President, Commissioner, I am pleased that almost all Member States are using the emergency money to absorb the shocks to the global pandemic. Almost all countries, because not the Netherlands, together with Bulgaria. We are the country where no national plan has yet been submitted. Our Prime Minister, Rutte, would rather say no to reforms and a good recovery plan than to take the corona crisis by the horns and make good policy for the people. But this aside, because today I want to emphasize that the corona crisis has had enormous consequences, on our health, of course, but also on the wallets of many people. Houses became more expensive and many people lost their jobs during the crisis. And of course, the fact that energy prices are rising today does not help either. That is why we need more good and quality jobs. We need better, affordable access to healthcare and education for all. So, as far as I am concerned, it is crucial that the Commission now also works on social metrics that measure and assess the social impact of all these recovery plans. A just transition is more than achieving green and digital targets. It's also about making sure everyone can come along.

Mr President, President of the Commission, the eight budget hawks, including the Netherlands, are lurking. In your speech last year, you spoke about a balance between financial support to Member States and sustainable public investment. We therefore sincerely hope that green and social investment will escape excessive economy when designing new fiscal rules. This is necessary for the climate package, but also for reducing social inequality. Also, make sure that the financial markets can be a driving force behind sustainable growth and so don't let the hawks scream too much. When it comes to sustainability, I also draw attention to social sustainability. Truck drivers long for a humane implementation of the mobility package. More and more Europeans are moving from flex contract to flex contract. No rights for employees, no obligations for employers. We really need to separate the wheat from the chaff and that is why we ask you to take up the revision of the Broadcasting Directive.

Mr President, Commissioner, as far as I am concerned, we are having a good day, because today in the Netherlands we have achieved an important victory for the protection of platform workers. The Amsterdam court ruled that Uber must hire its drivers as employees. Now we have to go ahead with regulations for all platforms such as Uber, Temper and Deliveroo, because they all roll out the same revenue model all over Europe at once and so we have to ensure a European response. For us, it is clear that platform workers have the right to a fair wage, to social protection and to a pension. We can achieve this by reversing the burden of proof. The platform workers no longer have to go to court, but the platform. Platform workers will automatically be just employees and will no longer have to claim their rights individually. In this way, it is clear to everyone that they are well protected. This is how we steer the platform economy in the right direction. I am counting on a strong proposal from the Commissioner. We will continue this debate at the beginning of December, but first we will vote on Wednesday and with great pleasure in the right direction.

Mr President, Commissioner, the aviation sector was already under high pressure before the coronavirus crisis and is now really jumping in. Price tuners seize their opportunity to compete against the old giants from the market, and this competition is at the expense of workers and at the expense of flight safety. Research shows that flight safety has long been compromised by unfair competition. For example, some people earn very low wages, but they do have an insanely high workload. There is hardly any supervision, there is little willingness to report, and all this contributes to flight safety. In the air, you have to be able to trust each other blindly. You should be able to count on your colleagues: From security to baggage handlers and cabin crew, everyone contributes to a safe flight environment and thus to a safe flight. That is why I call on the Commission to set social conditions for landing rights in order to improve working conditions and ensure road safety. One more comment on the support programme for KLM. Yes, we agreed with great conviction last month with the allocation of funds to KLM, but there are many more people at Schiphol who have seen their jobs compromised. And I would think that all the people at the airport deserve our support.

Mr President, eight years ago, 1 134 people died in the Rana Plaza disaster, and still the labour laws of the country are not in line with ILO standards, nor have they really been improved until now. Research worldwide shows that Bangladesh is one of the worst countries to work in. Nevertheless, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh is about to end without having any proper replacement. Brands showed that they had not learned to take their responsibility when, at the peak of the COVID crisis, they refused to pay for the orders that had already been made. Therefore, a legally binding instrument is needed to uphold brands to their responsibilities. Due diligence legislation could potentially be a worthy substitute, but it has not been presented yet. Therefore it would be a poor excuse to end the Accord without having a proper replacement. It would be like taking a big step backwards before taking a new step forward. As announced, the Bangladesh Government needs to show its commitment to improve labour rights. So I would indeed ask for the roadmap to be published, for the whole world. It’s necessary that it shows tangible progress, not only on child labour, but also on reform of the export processing zones, on the labour inspectorates, on tackling the backlog of labour—related cases, and trade union registration reform. Lastly, I ask the Commission: do you agree that individual brand accountability with independent oversight mechanisms are crucial elements that made the Bangladesh Accord so successful, and that the same elements should therefore also be at the core of its replacement?

Mr President, Commissioner, ageing in Europe can cause problems. Provisions need to be adjusted, and to what extent this needs to be done varies by region. We need creative solutions. But let's be clear about one thing: Women are not an instrument of population politics, you can write that on your stomach. And the fact that the PiS party is driving this is really crazy. Not the church, not the state, but women themselves are concerned about whether or not they want children. And women in Europe should be able to assume that sexual and reproductive health is well regulated in Europe. They must be able to assume a good work-life balance where they are not predestined for the countertop. Women’s rights – I wish to make it clear here – I will not have them deleted by this report.