The ETUC – the workers’ voice in standardisation

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), is the umbrella organisation representing 45 million members of around 90 national trade union confederations in 39 countries and 10 European trade union federations. Confederal Secretary Isabelle Schömann talked to us about the special role that the ETUC plays in standardisation.

The ETUC is an officially recognised organisation under the EU Regulation on European Standardisation. How do you get involved in practice in the standardisation process?

In the framework of the Regulation on European Standardisation (EU) 1025/2012, the ETUC participates directly in numerous political and technical bodies and committees of the European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs), i.e. CEN, CENELEC and ETSI. As such, the ETUC no longer depends on receiving information second-hand from the national standardisation bodies. Receiving information first-hand allows the ETUC to identify in good time any new standardisation projects which may directly affect workers. Direct participation in the standardisation activities also allows us to engage in new standardisation proposals, such as the European standard for hairdressers’ gloves.

Beyond this, the ETUC is involved in several working parties organised by the European Commission. These include the “Committee on Standards” and the “Multi-Stakeholder Platform on Information and Communication Technology”. We also submit our views on the content of standardisation requests to the ESOs during the formal consultation that the European Commission conducts among the societal stakeholders.

The ETUC represents trade unions in a broad range of sectors. What standardisation topics have been of particular importance in recent months?

The ETUC focuses on standardisation topics which directly affect workers, at both the European level at CEN and the international level at ISO. The range of topics is indeed quite wide. To name a few, we work on standards dealing with the safety of ladders, public procurement, cabin air quality, human resource management, social responsibility and psychosocial risks.

In the framework of the green and digital twin transition, the ETUC is concentrating significant resources on artificial intelligence (AI), in particular in relation to standardisation work, since many harmonised AI standards will, underpin the forthcoming European Regulation on AI. As many of these AI standards are likely to be transposed from the international ISO level to the European level, the ETUC is engaging with both the European and international standardisation bodies.

However, identifying relevant standardisation activities is not always easy: the mere title and scope of a standard do not always indicate whether or not its actual content will directly affect workers.

The EU is increasingly recognising standardisation as a political instrument for asserting its interests in the world. Where do you see challenges for your work at international level?

Standardisation is an eco-system of national, European and international standardisation bodies, working together. The national standards bodies have a crucial role, as they have voting powers in CEN and CENELEC. However, the EU Regulation on Standardisation is not applicable at the international level. At the same time, the primacy principle of international standards over European standards permits de facto transposition of many international standards into European standards.

The ETUC stresses the need to go beyond simply adopting international standards in Europe, especially where EU legislation is to be fully respected. The ETUC has been requesting a change in the principle of primacy of international standards and a review of the Vienna agreement to guarantee robust control of international standards’ legality and compatibility with EU law before authorising their application at EU and national levels. Where standards developed at international level are to be used in the European context, the requirements of the EU Regulation on Standardisation must be fulfilled. This includes the facility for representation and effective participation of trade unions and other relevant stakeholders.

How would you describe the impact of the work of ETUC so far, and what are your goals for the future?

Since 2015, our activities have been twofold: first, we have asserted the voice of workers as an indispensable reference within European standardisation and have assured the role of trade unions. Second, we have dedicated more resources to bringing standardisation closer to the trade unions: we aim to strengthen national trade unions’ understanding of and engagement with relevant standardisation issues, coordinate technical input on various standards and provide training courses and awareness for the trade union movement.

Thanks to these activities, ETUC-affiliated trade unions have acquired a better understanding of the standardisation world and the positive impact that standards may have, for example on occupational safety and health. Nevertheless, the ETUC regularly calls for vigilance to prevent standardisation activities from interfering with trade union prerogatives and areas of activity.

One major challenge for the ETUC and its affiliates is that of building trade union expertise, as trade unions can make meaningful contributions to technical committee discussion only when they possess the corresponding competence and knowledge. This is particularly the case in new domains such as information and communications technology.

Thank you very much for the interview, and we wish the ETUC the best of success for its work.