Brussels, 19 June 2023 – EFFAT and FoodServiceEurope have united to raise concerns about the potential threats posed by the current public procurement rules in the EU to the social and economic rights of workers and employers in the contract catering sector.
They emphasize that half of public tenders in Europe are awarded solely based on the lowest price, leading to unfair competition and a disregard for social criteria. This approach risks discouraging quality service provisions, harming socially responsible companies, and jeopardizing fair work and pay.
Therefore, EFFAT and FoodServiceEurope advocate for a ‘best-value’ approach in public procurement, urging the revision of the EU Public Procurement Directive to prioritise quality criteria and promote collective bargaining. They call upon the European Commission to strengthen the bargaining capacity of social partners, enhance consultation with representative social partners in public procurement matters, and increase funding for professionalisation and awareness among public buyers.
Additionally, they propose adjustments to public procurement rules for essential services and labour-intensive industries, such as contract catering, including the exclusion of the lowest price criterion and the requirement for adherence to collective agreements to promote collective bargaining through public procurement.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Kerstin Howald
Tourism Sector Secretary
EFFAT
Tel +32 (0)2 209 62 64
Alison Ryan
Policy Manager
FoodServiceEurope
Tel +32 492 15 73 88
About EFFAT:
EFFAT is the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions, also representing domestic workers. As a European Trade Union Federation representing 120 national trade unions from 35 European countries, EFFAT defends the interests of more than 22 million workers towards the European Institutions, European employers’ associations and transnational companies.
About FoodServiceEurope:
FoodServiceEurope represents the interests of the European contract catering sector at EU level. As employers of over 600,000 people across Europe and delivering over 6 billion meals every year, we are a key stakeholder in the EU policymaking process.