ILO welcomes EU’s renewed commitment to a strong and resilient social Europe

BRUSSELS / LA HULPE (ILO News) – At a conference organized by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, participants signed a Declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The European Commission and other signatories pledged to continue implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, which was proclaimed in 2017 at the Gothenburg Summit. They aim to further strengthen employment and social dimensions amidst digital and green transitions and the demographic shifts.

The La Hulpe Declaration underlines the EU’s commitment to the ILO and its values, including with regard to the definition of international labour standards. It reiterates that these standards should be taken into account in the external action of the EU, including through its trade policy. 

The ILO welcomes the EU’s resolve in the pursuit of a social Europe, with the aim of creating social and economic progress, ensuring equal opportunities for all, quality jobs and fair working conditions, reducing poverty and inequalities and fostering a just and fair transition to climate neutrality. The signatories to the Declaration welcome the participation of the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee and some EU Member States in the Global Coalition for Social Justice.

The Declaration was signed by the European Commission, Belgium’s Prime Minister De Croo on behalf of 25 EU Member States, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the majority of European social partners and civil society. It builds on the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, amongst others. 

“Just green and digital transitions will not happen naturally. Effective skills responses, grounded in social dialogue are key to have a chance of success,” said Srinivas Reddy, Chief of the ILO Skills and employability branch, addressing a session on Labour market policies to address multiple transitions. The strategic partnership between the EU and ILO fosters effective collaboration among key stakeholders and implements cohesive measures for skills development for green and digital jobs.

The ILO also participated in a panel on Artificial Intelligence and algorithmic management. "Algorithmic management can increase productivity and improve workflow coordination and communication, but it also poses risks and worker surveillance has impact on job quality and working conditions, particularly in the absence of regulatory safeguards," said Uma Rani, Senior Economist at the ILO. 

She briefed the audience about the main conclusions of the report entitled: Algorithmic Management practices in regular workplaces: case studies in logistics and healthcare. This study, which was jointly written by the ILO and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, was launched in Brussels in February.