ETUC Observations and Legal Opinion on the Reporting Cycle 2025 on the “1st Group of European Social Charter provisions”
ETUC Observations and Legal Opinion on the Reporting Cycle 2025 on the “1st Group of European Social Charter provisions”
On 2nd of July, the ETUC submitted to the Council of Europe (CoE) European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) its observations to the so-called “1st Group of ESC provisions” which deal amongst others with working time issues, fair (minimum) wages as well as core trade union and workers’ representatives rights and prerogatives. This reporting cycle relates in particular to all states that have ratified the European Social Charter (1961 or 1996 version) but NOT the 1995 Collective Complaints Procedure Protocol.
Next to the country-specific observations in which the ETUC highlights the non-compliance of the countries with in particular the UN International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW or CMW) as well as relevant ILO Conventions, the ETUC also particularly criticises the new reporting system as it was established following the latest Reform of 2022. For ETUC; it is clear that the new system evidently violates Article 21 ESC 1961 !
The ETUC Legal Opinion on “Is the current reporting system of the European Social Charter in conformity with Article 21 ESC 1961? (19.06.2025)” and the ETUC Observations on the Reporting Cycle 2025 “1st Group of ESC provisions” (with the Legal Opinion also in Annex) are available below in the "documents section".