EZA once again participated in the ILO Conference 2025 with a delegation consisting of President Luc Van den Brande and Co-President Piergiorgio Sciacqua. In addition to hosting a lunch ourselves, where we had good discussions with Pierre Martinot-Lagarde (Special Adviser on Socio-Religious Affairs), among others, we also had the opportunity to speak with Ms Beate Andres (Deputy Director-General of the ILO and Regional Director of the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia) and Maria Helena André (Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV)). The event concluded with a speech by our President, Luc Van den Brande.
We are delighted to announce that we also has officially joined the Global Coalition for Social Justice – an ILO initiative that focuses on socially just working conditions and decent work. This accession underlines the central role of workers' organisations in ensuring that fair labour standards and the right to protection and respect in the world of work are enshrined globally. Together, we can make the world of work fairer – and thus make a sustainable contribution to the UN's goals for decent work and social justice.
Dear Mr. President, Vice-Presidents and Delegates:
On behalf of the European Centre for Workers' Questions (EZA), representing 70 workers’ organisations in 29 countries, I have the privilege of participating in the 113th session of the International Labour Conference. We take pleasure in contributing our experience and insights from our educational and research work on social dialogue in Europe to the invaluable work of the ILO.
We live in unusual, confused and uncertain times. Whereas previously challenges and crises presented themselves one by one, we now have to find answers to many of them at the same time – while ensuring a just transition:
Climate objectives, greening the economy, different use of resources in a circular economy, careful energy consumption, demographic challenges, health and food problems, world trade disruptions, all interconnected, driven by AI and robotics, with a direct impact on the world of work. Not least against the backdrop of a multipolar world, with a disastrous war of Russia in Ukraine and terrible atrocities and clear violations of the international humanitarian law in the Gaza strip.
It is true: we are living in a “time of discontent”, as the Director-General of the ILO rightly analyses, in which many workers, also in Europe, are at risk of losing trust in the link between (quality) jobs, workers' rights and economic growth. We feel this also in EZA's educational work. Globalization has not kept its promise of equal chances and salvation. There is an interaction between on the one hand the crisis of political democracy with the rise of extremist, anti-democratic political forces, polarization, take-over of democratic institutions by tech-monopolists, and the crisis of industrial democracy and trade unions on the other side.
The EU agenda aims to strengthen competitiveness as an effective means of returning to economic growth, thus jobs, and therefore greater social cohesion and in the end hopefully restored trust.
Competitiveness is not merely a materialistic goal, an end on itself, but a contribution to the public good and cannot be at the detriment of social protection, social perspective and climate protection goals, like this can also not be the case for raised defence budgets. The European Pillar of Social Rights as an EU scoreboard, compass and coherent frame for social performance, becomes more important than ever. It must be conditional and a prerequisite for other EU projects, with the people at the centre of political action.
A New Social Pact must be developed whereby social dialogue and collective bargaining is strengthened, from the company to the state level, involving the local population, engaging disappointed, disconnected citizens. Political actors must recognize and actively promote this role of social partnership as a model for shaping the world of work, resolving conflicts and achieving social justice for the sake of political democracy. A culture of dialogue, compromise and cooperation between different interest groups is crucial. Therefore, trade unions should also cooperate more closely with other civil society actors to increase their outreach to society. This all to overcome the profound crisis of trust and truth.
Putting social dialogue on a sound, sustainable footing can help us to ensure that the world of work remains a place of dignity, participation and added value for the whole of society.
We must do our part to strengthen social dialogue, protect workers' rights and create better jobs so that inclusive, sustainable economic growth can emerge and social justice can be achieved based on democratic values.
Thank you for your attention.
[Video: https://live.ilo.org/event/plenary-debates-afternoon-sitting-2025-06-10 (03:51:35)]
Please find attached the official press release from the ILO: www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilc/113/ilo-adopts-landmark-convention-biological-hazards-working-environment