Spain aims to prevent a European directive on practices.

Brussels – On Monday, Spain’s Second Vice-President and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, announced her intention to collaborate with nine other EU member states to oppose a European directive that she claims undermines workers’ rights.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of the EU Council of Labor Ministers meeting — where the directive, presented by Hungary’s rotating presidency, will be discussed — Díaz expressed her strong disapproval of what she described as a “cut in rights” promoted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration.

She declared the Spanish government’s “radical” rejection of the directive’s current text and has been actively seeking a blocking minority to halt its progress. Countries expected to support this initiative include Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovenia, Lithuania, Portugal, and Romania.

“It is unprecedented for a directive aimed at promoting labor rights and ensuring security for individuals in training to have those rights diminished,” Díaz stated. She criticized the directive for being structured in a way that contradicts the principles set forth by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The proposed directive from the Hungarian presidency includes a list of exclusions that, according to Díaz, effectively removes all training and learning practices from its purview. She emphasized that it is “unheard of” for a directive to specify conditions that would prevent its application, characterizing such an approach as “radically opposed to common sense.”

Díaz attributed the directive to a failing economic model defined by “low-cost” labor practices, which she believes runs counter to Europe’s needs for enhanced labor rights and economic efficiency. She warned against adopting a trend that fosters degraded labor relations and unhealthy business practices, stating, “One cannot compete with a downward approach.”

The vice president concluded by asserting that the directive poses significant risks to workers in training and laborers across Europe. (December 2)