ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Hundreds of cleaners, security guards and food service workers staged demonstrations in Paris and Dublin earlier this month, calling for better pay, improved working conditions and stronger collective bargaining rights as the European Union prepares to overhaul its public procurement rules.

The protests coincided with Ireland assuming the presidency of the Council of the European Union, giving it a leading role in negotiations on the proposed reforms. Meanwhile, workers gathered outside the French Finance Ministry in Paris ahead of the expected publication of a draft Public Procurement Act by European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné after the summer.

The demonstrations focused on the impact of the EU's public procurement framework, which governs around €2 trillion in annual public spending. Campaigners argue that current rules place too much emphasis on awarding contracts on the basis of the lowest price, creating pressure on service providers that is ultimately reflected in wages, staffing levels and job security.

According to UNI Europa, the European federation representing service sector trade unions, more than half of public tenders across the EU are currently awarded primarily on price, contributing to what it describes as a "race to the bottom" in labour standards.

Speaking at the Paris rally, UNI Europa regional secretary Oliver Roethig called for future procurement rules to place greater emphasis on collective bargaining.

"To Stéphane Séjourné and Europe's political leaders we say that we want every worker on a public contract to be covered by a collective agreement - for dignity at work, for a real say in the workplace, for more pay in workers' pockets," he said.

The Paris demonstration was organised by UNI Europa alongside French trade unions CFDT Services, CFTC-CSFV, CGT-Commerce and FO-FEETS, with a delegation of workers from Luxembourg also taking part.

At the Dublin protest, organised by Irish trade union SIPTU and UNI Europa, cleaners and security guards gathered outside the Office of Government Procurement. SIPTU called on the Irish Government to ensure that its first National Public Procurement Strategy prioritises collective bargaining and fair employment standards when awarding public contracts.

Adrian Kane, SIPTU Services divisional organiser, said: "SIPTU is calling on the Government to ensure Ireland's first National Public Procurement Strategy... includes strong protections for workers and puts collective bargaining and fair employment standards at the heart of how public contracts are awarded."

The demonstrations form part of UNI Europa's "No Public Procurement Without a Collective Agreement" campaign, which has brought together trade unions, employers, academics and civil society organisations to advocate changes to the procurement framework.

The campaign follows a demonstration in Brussels in October 2024, when more than 1,000 workers from nine countries called for procurement reforms aimed at improving pay and working conditions. It also cites an open letter signed by more than 100 economists supporting reforms that would place greater emphasis on collective bargaining and reduce reliance on lowest-price tendering.