Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the decades-long lack of investment in the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and its workforce, including skills shortages, the ageing workforce, and issues attracting new workers. 

This has hampered the industry’s ability to ramp up and meet the EU’s ammunition targets for Ukraine with unfair pressure being put on defence workers who demand an EU defence industrial policy which invests in workers and ensures good quality industrial jobs for all. 

This week, European trade unions met in Poland, one of the EU Member States most affected by the war in Ukraine, to have a detailed discussion about the defence sector both in Poland and across Europe. The meeting was particularly poignant with the Ukrainian trade unions in attendance who continue to welcome support from their European brothers and sisters during their time of need. 

Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary for industriAll Europe said: 

‘’The defence sector has become a priority for the EU. This can be seen in the EU Political Guidelines for the new EU mandate and in the creation of a new dedicated Commissioner for Defence. While we support a stronger geopolitical role of the EU in the world, EU initiatives on defence or security should not come at the expense of social progress, workers’ rights and working conditions. Furthermore, this has to be done in line with values deeply rooted in the European project, such as peace and democracy."

A new industrial policy for the defence sector is high on the EU agenda following the proposal in the Draghi Report for a medium-term EU Defence Industrial Policy and the request by President von der Leyen for a White Paper on the future of European Defence in the first 100 days of the new European Commission. As such, European trade unions discussed what this should mean from a workers’ perspective, noting that there are 500,000 jobs in the sector and that all efforts must be made to ensure that these are decent and well-paid quality jobs across all European countries.

Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary for industriAll Europe added: 

“Workers in the defence sector are highly skilled and it is not possible to ramp up production tomorrow. We have long been calling for investment in defence sites and workers, including attracting and training new workers and reskilling and upskilling current workers. Now is the time for a new European industrial policy for the defence sector and it must be worker centred. There is no defence sector without a high skilled workforce, and these workers deserve to work in decent conditions with fair pay.

‘’The situation in Ukraine remains dire and the entire trade union movement continues to call on Russia to end its war immediately. The increase in demand cannot land solely on the shoulders of European defence workers, and even in these desperate times, the health and safety of workers, including stress and other psychosocial risks, must be managed, and core workers’ rights including the respect of the Working Time Directive must be adhered to. We insist on good industrial jobs for all workers in all manufacturing sectors.’’