Reacting to today's State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch said:

"Working people are living with unprecedented insecurity, and it is threatening the lives they have built. They deserved to hear about a real plan for their future today, one backed by real investment, with a clear account of the jobs it will create and what it means for their futures and their families. They did not hear today that the EU is ready to deliver a solution to the cost-of-living and growing jobs crisis.

"Confirmation that the Quality Jobs Act will be brought forward this year is an important step in the right direction, one ETUC has pushed hard for. But a date isn't a guarantee of substance. The real test will be whether the Act delivers: fair wages, human control over and protection from AI at work, full respect for the right to disconnect, secure contracts, safe and healthy workplaces, stronger collective bargaining, the regulation of subcontracting and labour intermediaries, and anticipation and management of change for the green and digital transitions.

"On AI, the President framed the risks almost entirely around security, not jobs and incomes. If she really wants 'AI with human agency,' that starts with the workers who deliver our services and make our news and culture happen. They're the ones who can deliver a human-centred rollout, and that means giving them control over it.

"The confirmed commitment to new 'own resources' to fund the 2028-2034 budget is welcome, but money must go to jobs, skills and social cohesion, not just competitiveness and defence. The same goes for next year's Pillar of Social Rights anniversary: fine words need an action plan with real timelines, legislation and resources.

"And on so-called 'gold-plating,' including the push for a 28th Company Regime: the best labour standards come from the ground up, not a ceiling set in Brussels. Capping ambition to the EU minimum would lock in the low pay and insecurity people already live with. That would be a grave mistake that trade unions would mobilise against: workers need the freedom to bargain for more, not less."