The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC, for its acronym in English) has demanded this Wednesday from the European Commission to accelerate the approval of a common framework on telework in the European Union. The objective is to prevent employees from assuming new costs or seeing their rights diminished, after Brussels has proposed, among other initiatives, to promote remote work as a way to reduce energy consumption.
The trade union confederation admits that this recommendation, formulated in the context of measures to contain energy demand, may favor savings, but stresses that it should not be applied "at the expense of workers' rights" nor transfer to them the costs associated with teleworking, in a scenario marked by rising electricity prices.
Therefore, the ETUC urges the Community Executive to close "with urgency" the European regulation on remote work, after the second phase of consultation opened last summer, and insists that the text incorporate safeguards such as the effective protection of the right to disconnect outside working hours.
The trade union organization also maintains that it must be the employers who fully assume the costs linked to teleworking, from equipment and Internet connection to energy consumption at home. At the same time, it demands that full equalization of rights be guaranteed with those who perform their work in person, in matters such as salary, training opportunities, or the prevention of occupational hazards.
The unions also draw attention to the dangers of massively extending this form of work organization without clear regulation. At this point, they cite studies from the Commission itself that indicate an increase in workload, in availability outside working hours, and in conflicts between professional and personal life.
According to the data handled by the ETUC, people who habitually work from home have up to four times more likelihood of performing tasks in their free time, a reality that, they warn, impacts more acutely on women.
The European Trade Union Confederation emphasizes that teleworking cannot deepen existing inequalities, such as the unequal distribution of unpaid care tasks, nor justify intrusive surveillance practices by companies. In this regard, it demands that any monitoring system be limited to legitimate and proportionate purposes, comply with data protection regulations and respect collective agreements.
In parallel, the trade union group urges the European Union to accompany these measures with broader policies that safeguard purchasing power and employment, among them the control of energy prices, the use of crisis management mechanisms and new investments in energy efficiency.
The ETUC's position is known after the European Commission has asked member states to reduce energy demand, including among the proposed tools the promotion of teleworking, given the high volatility of energy markets derived from the conflict in the Middle East.