The EU Parliament wants to allow bomb manufacturers and ammunition companies to bypass maximum work hours in case of a security crisis. Belgian representative Marc Botenga is not having it. He says the EU Parliament is betraying workers.
Any sort of source for that law? I can not find anything…
This is part of the the EU Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) which was debated recently.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX%3A52025SC0820
https://www.iris-france.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ARES_2024_09_EDIP_Factsheets.pdf
The goal is to ensure the availability of weapons and ammunition in time and sufficient volume. Provisions allow derogation from working hours in military production during crisis. Some labor unions have criticized the deal.
The big political families (centrists, the socialists and conservatives) have endorsed the deal.
According to special rapporteur Raphael Glucksman:
“Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and hybrid attacks on EU countries remind us daily that we have no time to lose. Europe must finally be able to defend itself. EDIP was conceived exactly for this purpose – to strengthen collective defence through common investment, joint procurement, and integration of Ukrainian and European industries.
“Failing to allocate sufficient funding for EDIP is a missed opportunity and a strategic mistake for the EU.
“Still, today’s agreement is a crucial step towards transforming and strengthening our defence industry. We have secured guarantees that EU funds will build European capabilities, free from external dependence.
However, The Left group (parties even more left than the socialists) has criticized the deal
The Parliament also voted for the arms industry to benefit from derogations on EU regulations on habitats, protecting flora and fauna, and even the landmark Water Framework Directive. The result is the sacrifice of basic environmental protections to the benefit of the military-industrial complex.
Özlem Demirel (Die Linke, Germany) said: “A war economy means that all areas of public life and production are subordinated to the demands and needs of war. This program is a dangerous turning point, a watershed at the expense of social standards, environmental standards, and occupational safety. It is also economically misguided. Investment in armaments is dead capital. Armaments can only be produced endlessly as long as there is a corresponding need in the event of war,
There is nothing about workers rights in there as far as I can tell. Certainly nothing about 60h work week. The union letter is basically just complaining about workers rights, without specifying which rights specifically and effected by what exactly.
Should bomb manufacturers be allowed to make people work 60 hours a week.
If the unemployment is not near zero, absolutely not. The manufacturers should hire the labour they need, especially since they operate for hefty profits. If there’s no labour left to be hired and we need more bombs still, then we can talk about overtime.
The thing is, these are often technical jobs that may require significant training.
Of course. And you’ll both take welders from less critical industries, paying them more, as well as introduce training and retraining programs with the right incentives for people to apply. In addition, you’d employ new automation and tools where possible which would increase productivity.
That’s of course easy said, but not so easily done. Are these welders living anywhere near the manufacturing sites of the defense industries? Can you pay them enough for them to be willing to move across Europe? And why would they even consider it with jobs for the taking everywhere?
You seem to be forgetting that every industry is currently having a raging shortage of experienced welders and similar skill sets. If the defense industry raises pay, you can bet the infrastructure industry, which is also critical will just follow. And the building industry. And the oil industry, etc etc.
Edit: I don’t mean to say I agree with enforcing a 60-hour work week by the way, but I don’t think just paying more will automatically resolve labour shortages.
It’s why I said workers would shift from one industry to another. It would resolve the labour shortage in defence at expense of other industries. I’m not a fan of the free market and you correcrly show some issues with the market solution I proposed. I only proposed it because the EU tends to use market solutions. There are non-market solutions that can more effectively tackle shifting labour to defence manufacturing.
As for this being hard, it is hard. It’s also hard for people doing 60 hour weeks. One of these approaches puts the burden on a smaller group of people, instead of spreading it more fairly. In blunt terms, every joint has a finite lifespan in hours. Joints working 50% more hours per week than others would have their useful life expended much earlier in life. As a result the ability of a 55 year-old worker who did 60 hour weeks on the shop floor is different than the one who worked 40 hour weeks. And with the retirement systems under attack these days, the retirement ages pushing high 60s, this ain’t looking like a nice prospect.
I’m not saying this because I think you agree with the 60-hour week proposal. Just putting the other side of the equation in blunt terms.
The Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) is a Marxist and socialist political party in Belgium.
The party abstained from the vote condemning the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Chamber of Representatives. According to PTB MP Nabil Boukili, “the diplomatic way is the only possible way to avoid a war”.
This is pure propaganda, and it comes from the East.
Addition:
The examination of … the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PVDA) reveals significant concerns about their alignment with foreign interests, particularly Russian.
PVDA’s abstentions on key votes condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its connections with Russian-affiliated organizations raise alarms. The party’s rhetoric often mirrors Russian propaganda, undermining the integrity of Belgian politics. Leaders such as Marc Botenga and Jos D’Haese have engaged in activities that align with Russian interests, casting doubt on the party’s commitment to Belgian sovereignty.
The thing about war is that you can’t just say no to it.
But we can say no to feeding a small part of our neighbours into the factory machine (which destroys bodies) while others are unemployed and yet others sip on cocktails at their second cottages. If war chooses us and we need more labour, everyone goes to the factory floor, and only after that we increase the burden further, if we can’t keep up.
The MEP in question basically just loves Russia, from the sound of it, and is trying to make that sound like everyone else is a warmonger for not lying down and letting Russia do whatever.
I have nothing to add on if longer work hours should or should not be allowed in this case; I lack local background and context.
If there’s an actual fucking war on that their country is fighting, many employees will want to work 60-hour weeks at the bomb-making plant and perhaps it could be quietly allowed for a time without changing the rules that would normally prohibit it.
Sometimes you don’t get to choose. Belgium of all countries should know that.
If a war breaks out I would work also longer than 60 hours and if this propaganda parrot promises to never come back I pay for his one-way ticket to Moscow or Beijing.
Well, if the workers are paid for 60 hours a week and it is for a short period of time, I don’t see any difference with any other rush (Christmas, sales) that other workers face.
You’re right. We should definitely ban them, too.
If it came to that, how about the owners were forced to hire from the vast pool of unemplyed people AND pay decent wages.
And perhaps the owners themselves roll up their sleeves as well, for a change.
As company profits grow, so should the compensation of the workers. A war is a good time for bomb companies to profit wildly. 60 hour weeks are not sustainable though, in the long term - workers simply hit a productivity ceiling.
If there’s a war, and the 60 hour weeks are spent productively fighting the war, instead of keeping chairs warm for the managers, I’m confident many people will accept the effort.
