"I feel the ground is being prepared to return to the era of the 'troika'"

MadridFor days, Madrid has been a hub for major events – the Pope's visit coincided with ten Bad Bunny concerts – and European trade unionism has wanted to do its bit. This week, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) chose the Palacio Vistalegre in the Spanish capital as a stage for a show of strength, but also to warn Europe that it will act as a containment wall against all proposals that, in its opinion, represent a step backwards in labor rights and human rights.

The central event took place on Thursday and the poster was headed by Esther Lynch (United Kingdom, 63 years old), the visible face of the ETUC. "I feel like the ground is being prepared to return to the era of the troika", laments Lynch, who, amidst a packed three-day agenda in Madrid where she will meet with various social organizations, answers questions from ARA by phone.

Lynch has been rowing within European trade unionism for years. In 2015, she took on the challenge of assuming the general secretaryship of this European organization, which represents about 45 million workers, but before that, she played a key role in the fight to defend workers' rights in Ireland, the country that adopted her and where in the 80s she began to take her first steps as a trade unionist. It is, in fact, by remembering her years in Ireland that she sees signs of austerity in the current decisions of many European governments. "It's a real fear I have," she confesses. She explains that in Ireland, the same thing happened as in Italy and Spain: "I know how [the troika] prepares the ground to demand a change in spending from governments [...] And at this moment, it is happening." She specifically refers to the pressure on states to increase military spending, while arguments against spending on pensions, unemployment benefits, or maternity and paternity leave are growing, she exemplifies.

And this is an agenda that Lynch considers to be moving away from a "recipe for success". In fact, he believes it goes in the opposite direction to the path Europe is pursuing: boosting strategic autonomy at a time marked by geopolitical tensions, so as not to depend on major powers like the United States or China. "Europe will not be competitive if rights, benefits, and even regulations are eliminated. Nothing could be further from the truth," he states. "Being competitive means having affordable nursery schools, housing, and public transport." Thus, Lynch recalls that these are the "foundational elements" of the welfare state in Europe. "Focusing on making companies obtain more profits or comply with fewer regulations is a recipe doomed to failure," he reflects.

To be able to face this trend, she unreservedly claims the role of trade unions: "Now is not the time to give up on union action [...] Now is not the time for despair, but a time to unite, organize, and win". This is the image that thousands of people, called by 25 trade unions from a dozen European countries, wanted to show this Thursday in Madrid.

The trade unionist, however, acknowledges that the sense of political disaffection that pervades the entire Old Continent also affects trade unions, especially among young people who were counting on a "promising" future and have "[working] conditions much worse than previous generations". The same applies to adult workers who fear the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) or the ecological transition on their jobs and, therefore, their lives. "They are not being supported to adapt. There is a lack of training, but above all, a lack of time to do it," diagnoses Lynch. "Trade unions understand all this pressure to which [workers] are subjected," she assures. And she asks for trust.

The role of the United States

When asked about the role of the United States, especially the Trump administration, he is clear: many things would not be understood without them. In strictly labor terms, Lynch warns of the adoption, precisely, of a "North American" model in some companies in Europe regarding the "dismantling of union action." He sees this, in particular, in the case of digital platforms. "They adopt tactics to encourage people not to join, they make them afraid," he denounces. He gives as an example the identification of digital platform workers – the "riders" – when they meet to discuss salaries and hours, and over whom the "deactivation" on the platform constantly looms, which "disguises" an "unfair dismissal."

Regarding large North American tech companies and the owners behind them, the so-called techno-oligarchs, he warns that their "real danger" is "influence in the political system." But also that beyond social networks, we must pay attention to the weight they acquire over basic services. "I am concerned that they will lay their hands on systems we need to live; that they will access data from basic services such as health or transport."

In political terms, Lynch has seen an adoption in Europe and Spain by the far-right of the theses of the think tanks behind Donald Trump: "They use the oldest technique in history: divide and conquer. They encourage workers to believe that the source of their problems are other workers, especially foreigners [...] And destroying unions is part of this path."

A world dominated by men

In this struggle, Lynch has had to swim in a world, the economic one, normally marked by the high presence of men, both in companies and unions. That is why she is proud of one of the advances achieved over these ten years at the head of the CES: the European directive on pay transparency, which she believes has been an amendment to one of the most "flagrant" elements of discrimination at work, the pay gap between men and women. "For years employers told you that you had to keep your salary secret, that you couldn't talk about it with colleagues. This secrecy has meant that for years women did not know if what we were earning was discriminatory, if it was much lower than what our male colleagues were earning for doing the same job".

For results like this, Esther Lynch continues to advocate for taking steps forward: "It is the only way for governments to listen to workers and change course." Leaving this path deserted, she believes, is an opening for the "ruthless". "We are at a time when there are powers determined to make us go backwards in our rights," she warns during the conversation.