UNI Europa backs ETUC call for legislation on telework

UNI Europa is backing the ETUC’s call for the European Commission to initiate swift legislative action on telework and the right to disconnect following the blocking of a European social partner agreement by employers. 
 
In June last year, three European employers’ organisations signed a social dialogue work programme with the ETUC which included a commitment to negotiate a legally binding EU-wide agreement on telework to be implemented in the form of a directive.  
 
However, after negotiations lasting more than a year, two of the three employers’ organisations refused to put forward any text. The ETUC regrets that employers were unable to communicate a pathway to a successful outcome and that they withdrew from negotiations. 
 
The need for strong European regulation on telework has become even more urgent since the pandemic, with the EU Working Conditions Survey showing people regularly working from home are six times more likely to work in their free time and twice as likely to work 48 hours. 
 
Now, the European Commission must immediately legislate to ensure adequate working conditions for people on telework. We call on the Commission to bring forward a directive that will:

• Guarantee the existing right to disconnect; 
• Guarantee rights for trade unions such as the right to information and digital access rights;
• Ensure equal pay and treatment for people who telework; 
• Protect privacy and prevent invasive surveillance; 
• Ensure that the decision to telework is in the hands of the worker and is not about replacing workplaces; 
• Guarantee trade union involvement through collective bargaining in design and delivery of telework.