Speeches

Madam President! We're writing in 2022, but we don't have a peaceful world. It has been more than a year since the junta in Myanmar took power and has since committed the killing of the civilian population. I strongly condemn the fact that Russia, China and Serbia, as UN members, have helped the coup plotters to supply arms to the military regime in Myanmar. Supporting a military regime that uses force against the civilian population deserves condemnation and sanctions, not help from UN countries. The Myanmar population should not live with torture and abuse as part of everyday life. I am referring to the Rohingya, who are particularly vulnerable. I want a peaceful solution that respects the 2020 democratic elections and gives power to the civilian population - the civilian population's choice of a government. If there are no improvements, we should seriously consider more sanctions, because more than 14 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Many children and adults are starving. I call today for the EU to stand united on sanctions against Myanmar's junta.

Madam President! Thank you for your words, Commissioner Schmit! I am very pleased that we have a common agenda here. Work in the EU must be carried out in a healthy and safe working environment. It is terrible to think that while we are talking in this Chamber, there are people who are injured in the workplace. We need to change that. I look forward to the summit. I am not the only one who produced the report. Thank you very much to all the shadows, to the EMPL staff, to the secretariats and, not least, to team Vind. You have made a huge effort. Without everyone's efforts, we would not have included algorithms, women in the labour market, COVID, the right to disconnect, asbestos, climate change, stress, etc. It really means a lot. It will be a comprehensive report that will make a big difference to the working environment for Europe's workers. I'm happy about that.

Madam President! European workers have been fighting for a better working environment for over a hundred years. Yet more than 3,300 people die every year in workplaces in the EU. Over 200 000 people die each year from work-related illnesses after the work they have had. But we can therefore do much better, and that is why I see today's vote on the EU's seven-year strategy on health and safety at work as a light in the dark - a path to a better working environment for all. We have negotiated a fantastic report. Thank you to my colleagues for the incredible effort we have made together. A common strategy to ensure better safety and health for millions of Europe's workers. The report sets the ambitions sky high. It's something I'm proud of. The Commission's proposal was fine, but Europe's workers deserve more. Because we should not have an EU where hundreds of thousands die each year from work-related cancer. We should not have an EU where more than half of workers experience stress in their everyday lives, nor should we have an EU with more than 3 million accidents per year at work. All the figures I mention about accidents, illnesses and mentally ill working conditions are scandalous. The Commission's Vision Zero approach is a very good idea. But we want to extend this vision to cover all accidents at work. And I believe that we in Europe have come far enough to demand that you do not get hurt or sick from your work. It must be possible for all employees to be protected in relation to their physical and mental health when they go to work. A good example is asbestos. Asbestos has been banned in the EU since 2005, but there are still many old buildings in need of proper renovation and many of them have asbestos in them. So many craftsmen come to work with asbestos unknowingly, unaware of the consequences and unaware that over 80 000 people die annually because of it. But the renovation wave that's coming is going to increase that number. That is why we are proposing a much lower limit value for asbestos work, just as we want stricter limit values in relation to a large number of carcinogens. You don't get cancer from doing your job. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on our working conditions. Many were sent home and therefore lost the opportunity to see their colleagues in everyday life. And a large group of people have had to work more than usual, have been on the front line and have worked under extra pressure and at risk of illness. When you can work from home, it also means that you can work all the time with devices. It is therefore important that we discuss the right to take time off. The right to be offline. Turn off the computer, turn off the phone - keep free when you are off. Homework is not something that goes away - and fortunately for that. It provides flexibility, but it is really important that we ensure access to the good working environment in the home. This also applies to stress. Because it's not okay to show up at work with a lump in your stomach and the thought of: How am I going to get through today? It's not supposed to be like that. Finally, I would like to dispel a well-known myth: Health and safety is not a huge expense. Working environment is a good investment. Businesses need to see health and safety as an investment, not an expense. It is worth investing in a good working environment. With this report, we have a solid foundation for creating good European legislation that improves the working environment for the whole of the EU. I hope the Commission will take it on board.

Mr. President! Dear Commissioners, Dear rapporteurs, Dear colleagues! Every year, 120 000 Europeans get cancer from doing their job. It's the plumber who inhales asbestos and gets cancer in his lungs. It is the carpenters who are exposed to UV radiation and get skin cancer and veterinary nurses who take x-rays of our pets and get thyroid cancer, and many other professional groups who work with drugs or in environments that increase their risk of cancer, and 80 000 of them lose their lives. It is mothers, fathers, siblings who die because they do their job. Every case is tragic, but the whole picture is outright scandalous. It's time to step up our ambitions. It's time for us to use some of the tools that we know work. It's time to get rid of cancer in the workplace. Today's decisions are an important step in the right direction. No one gets cancer from going to work, and in my opinion one cancer patient is one too many.

Mr President! European cooperation is based on the principle of free movement. It has created growth and prosperity across national borders for decades. But freedom of movement has also led to social setbacks, with many hard-working Europeans facing downward pressure on their wages and working conditions. Fortunately, this is not a law of nature. It doesn't have to be like that. Social backsliding can turn into progress. Freedom of movement can become fair movement. But it requires political will. In the municipality of Copenhagen, the political will resulted in an experiment with ID cards on several public buildings. This has eased the control of the authorities and brought fraud to light. In fact, it was so successful that the scheme is now permanent. Because even the companies were happy about it, because the easy control wiped out all the fraudster companies. But social dumping is not a problem we can solve with a "vupti". It is the long, tough haul of organisation, legislation and control that can slow down progress and ensure decent wages and conditions for employees. Still, an ID card has proven to be low-hanging fruit that we haven't picked yet. Therefore, we should follow in the footsteps of Copenhagen and their experiences. We should follow suit at European level and introduce an ID card for all the many Europeans who work in a country other than their country of origin. This will make it easier for authorities to check compliance with the rules. This will lead to fewer people being scammed by gruesome employers. And thus we can put an end to the downward pressure that hard-working people experience on their wages and working conditions. That is why I hope that a majority in the European Parliament will help to put pressure on the European Commission so that, with an ID card in the toolbox, we can begin to make it free. Movement is fair.

Mr President! By 2035, up to 35 million buildings will be subject to energy renovation in the EU. There will be a wave of green renovations that will lead to major energy savings. But if we are not careful, the renovations will also cause a wave of cancer cases. A wave that will cost the lives of thousands of Europeans, because the buildings contain deadly asbestos. We have a limit today, yes, but it is not high enough. We have a screening effort, it's just too bad. We have legislation, yes, but there is a lack of enforcement. This means that there is still life-threatening asbestos dust. It gives workers cancer that takes their lives. That is unacceptable. We need to lower the threshold. We need to improve the screening of buildings before renovations begin, and we need to ensure that there is more control. It is not right for people to risk their lives to do their job. Asbestos already has many lives on its conscience. Let's make sure it ends now, before the next generation loses its life.

Mr President! For more than 100 years, employees all over Europe have fought for the right to a good working life, but unfortunately many of the major achievements are being rolled back. Platform companies like Uber, Wolt and Deliveroo have not only brought innovation and innovation with them, they have also brought in precarious working conditions that most of all look like something from the old days. This has affected the transport industry so much. When drivers and couriers drive around without insurance or safety equipment, they expose themselves to serious dangers. After all, when thousands of people are stuck on unpredictable zero-hour contracts, they lose the opportunity to plan their own everyday lives, lives and finances. This is simply not good enough. We can do much better. But now platform companies dream that we create a so-called "third category" between employees and employers so that they can continue to avoid ordinary employer responsibilities. This kind of 'employee light' category will be poisonous to Europe's social labour market model, and we as a Parliament must distance ourselves from this. We must avoid A and B teams and make it clear that a worker is a worker.