The position paper, titled “Good Quality Jobs: A Compass for the Next Legislative Period”, outlines industriAll Europe’s vision to reframe European competitiveness and industrial growth around workers’ rights, fair pay, and secure employment. The initiative comes amid growing concerns over precarious working conditions, labour shortages, and the social fallout of the green and digital transitions.

“For too long, the pursuit of competitiveness has come at the cost of workers’ rights, wages, and working conditions,” said Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe. “We believe a clear roadmap—with legal instruments, strong monitoring, and social conditionality—is essential to turn principles into practice.”

Key Proposals include:

• A legally enforceable Quality Jobs Roadmap co-designed with trade unions.
• A Just Transition Directive to manage industrial change.
• Mandatory social conditionality on EU funding.
• A European Job Quality Indicator, developed jointly with unions and academia.
• Rights to cost-free and paid training for workers.
• Equitable sharing of productivity gains through social dialogue.
• Stronger collective bargaining mechanisms and labour inspections.
• Clear limits on subcontracting and agency work to guarantee liability and fair treatment.
• A Directive on AI in the workplace, centred on the 'human in control' principle.
• Improved occupational health and safety standards, especially in clean tech sectors (e.g. battery production) and shipbuilding, among others.

Backing from Sectoral Social Partners

The submitted position is supported by further sector-specific joint contributions from key European social partners, which were also submitted to the Commission:

• Chemicals: A joint statement with ECEG on fair employment of third-country nationals in subcontracting chains.
• Steel: a joint letter with Eurofer to highlight the social dimension of the Joint Steel Action Plan adopted in 2024
• Extractive Industries: A joint letter with UEPG, APEP, Euracoal, Euromines, IMA Europe outlining joint recommendations for the 2024–2029 mandate where social partners call for an Industrial Deal focused on Good Quality Jobs
• Shipbuilding and Maritime Tech Equipment: A common reply with SEA Europe detailing industry-specific proposals.

IndustriAll Europe’s initiative complements the European Trade Union Confederation's (ETUC) broader demands and signals mounting pressure for binding commitments on job quality across EU institutions.

IndustriAll Europe has affirmed its readiness to engage further in the debate and support the Commission’s efforts in delivering an inclusive, forward-looking roadmap.