EU industry joins forces with union to urge protective action for essential workforce

26 Mar 2020 --- Since the insurgence of COVID-19 in Italy, European supply chains have increasingly dealt with bottlenecks and disruptions caused by the sweeping pandemic. Now as countries go into lockdown and quarantine measures are in place across the continent, industry bodies underscore that the entire food and drink industry (including finished products, ingredients, packaging and transport) must be regarded as “essential.” The workforce cannot stay at home if the food supply chain is to remain fully functional.

F&B businesses and trade unions stress that more needs to be done to provide enhanced health protection for workers and economic support for struggling businesses. As the latest industry body to speak out on the outbreak, FoodDrinkEurope is joining forces with its workers through the trade union group European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism (EFFAT) in a newly released joint statement.

“There is still room for improvement in EU-wide coordination, but it is particularly challenging to streamline protection measurements when Member States retain jurisdiction. I hope that more support and flexibility will reach farmers and those affiliated in the supply chain given the current circumstances. One major issue remains border crossing and food transportation,” Will Surman, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at FoodDrinkEurope (FDE), tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“We welcome many of the initiatives taken so far by the EC, including the proposal to activate the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the establishment of a Corona Investment Plan. But more needs to be done to provide enhanced health protection for workers and economic support for struggling businesses,” assert the organizations.

FDE and EFFAT urge the European Commission (EC) to encourage Member States to recognize the needs of EU industry’s workforce. “We are indebted to these workers and their continued dedication to do their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the emergency, the food sector does not and will not stop. For this reason, the workforce needs to be supported by public authorities.”

According to FDE estimates, the European food and drink industry heavily relies on more than 4.7 million people across 294,000 businesses of all sizes. Last month, Italian industry reps – now facing the spread of the disease across its nation – voiced concerns that food excellence may “fall into the eye of the hurricane.” Notably, COVID-19 concerns contributed to a World Food Price dip in February, as international trade shows were either canceled or postponed. 

Attending to the health and safety of workers
Among its calls to action, the alliance flags the need for national governments and the EU institutions to help companies operating in the food and drink sectors in finding personal protective equipment for workers. In this respect, they call for the accelerated establishment of centralized purchasing systems to avoid unfair competition during a time of shortages.

Given the challenge of divergent government protocols for dealing with the pandemic, FDE and EFFAT are urging the EC to provide EU guidelines to Member States to establish harmonized protocols for food sector workers to continue their work safely. “The protection of food workers’ health should be a priority,” they assert.

Notably, 99 percent of the EU’s food and drink businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Horeca (hotel/restaurant/cafe service industry) shutdowns across Europe continue to have a major impact on those businesses with potential negative repercussions on employment. 

“Unused structural funds and other EU funds should be used to support Member States in ensuring financial and income support for workers affected by unemployment or suspension from work, including non-standard workers and workers employed in the subcontracting chains,” the organizations stress.

The critical need for intersectoral collaboration across nations is growingly evident. In recent developments covered on FoodIngredientsFirst, the UK government has temporarily relaxed elements of competition law as part of a package of measures to allow supermarkets to work together to feed the nation amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

“Europe is facing an unprecedented fight against coronavirus that has changed the way we live in our society, the way we interact with our loved ones and the way we work together. The only way we will be able to overcome this crisis is with more support and solidarity among Member States,” conclude FDE and EFFAT.

By Benjamin Ferrer, with additional reporting from Anni Schleicher