Since the Covid-19 crisis started, care workers, cleaners, call centre workers, logistics and postal workers, security guards and all essential workers have been risking their lives to keep our society going. At the same time, they are among the lowest paid and most precarious workers in the EU. Many of them work in publicly procured projects.

Yet too many essential workers are left without a voice. In this way, these companies not only become less accountable to their own workers but also the general public. Meanwhile other companies are forced to also drive down workers’ pay and conditions in order to compete.

Public funding must not be complicit in fuelling this race to the bottom. Public contracts should not go to companies that seek a competitive advantage by suppressing workers' say and driving poverty wages and sub-standard working conditions. Decent pay and working conditions are in the public interest.

As a Member of the European Parliament, I pledge to work towards ensuring that companies can only be awarded public contracts if they have implemented collective agreements. I support the campaign to change EU public procurement rules to ensure:

• no public contracts for companies without collective agreements;
• a clear political undertaking by the European Commission for this simple change now, followed by a swift legislative initiative.

Check out which MEPs have already signed their support here.