FM newsroom – facility cleaning. At the heart of Europe’s policymaking hubs, the Italian trade union federation Fisascat-CISL is driving efforts to reform public procurement rules to create a more ethical, professional, and inclusive cleaning sector across the EU.
Fisascat-CISL Advocates for Change
Last month, Fisascat-CISL, the Italian trade union federation representing service sector workers, convened its executive board meetings at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Parliament. The focus was to present a declaration of intent aimed at reshaping policies within the cleaning sector, especially in light of the upcoming revision of the EU Directives on Public Procurement.
The proposal was addressed to sector partners—UNI Europa, UNI Property Services, and the employers association EFCI—to help shape a shared platform as Europe reevaluates its procurement laws, European Cleaning Journal reports.
A United Front of European Social Partners
The newly elected CISL General Secretary, Daniela Fumarola, led the Italian delegation alongside key European trade union figures and employer representatives. Participants included Oliver Roethig, Regional Secretary of UNI Europa; Mark Bergfeld, Director of Property Services at UNI Europa; Alberto De Rosa, President of EFCI; and vice president Pina Picierno MEP and Pasquale Tridico MEP.
The declaration underscores the need to strengthen social dialogue among European stakeholders and reform Directive 2014/24/EU. The goal is to counter contractual, wage, and social dumping and raise professional standards in the cleaning sector. In Italy alone, over 600,000 workers—mostly women, part-time employees, and migrant workers—rely on this sector for employment.
Early Collective Bargaining: A Tool for Fairness
A central solution discussed during the meetings was advanced or preliminary collective bargaining. This preemptive agreement involves clients, employer associations, and representative trade union organizations to ensure wage regularity, stable, quality employment, social contributions and enhanced health and safety conditions.
“Through early bargaining, Fisascat CISL intends to protect the quality of work in the multiservices sector, combating contractual, wage, and social dumping, and encouraging companies to compete on service quality rather than merely cost containment,” stated Vincenzo Dell’Orefice, Deputy General Secretary of CISL.
Dell’Orefice believes early bargaining promotes the autonomy of collective agreements, strengthens trade union relations, reduces disputes, and fosters better workplace climates. He also emphasized its potential to boost company reputations and attract talent across Europe.
“We need certain and demanding rules on the public procurement system, which can also play a leading role in regulating concessions in the private system,” Dell’Orefice added.
Broad Support from European Stakeholders
Fisascat CISL’s proposal has widespread support among European social partners. At the EESC, Oliver Roethig, President of UNI Europa, stressed the importance of collaboration between unions and employers. He believes that only through collective bargaining can the public procurement system and the working conditions of millions of employees be improved.
For employers, there’s recognition of the need for reform. Alberto De Rosa, President of EFCI (European Cleaning and Facility Services Industry), emphasized that it is the right time to make the recent directive on public procurement as accessible as possible. He also pointed out that the goal is, through early bargaining, to involve and raise awareness among clients.
“We need to aim for price revision processes, the definition of certain rules, and bureaucratic simplification, to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of companies and ensure adequately paid work,“ Alberto De Rosa said.
Looking Ahead: A Joint Statement in Progress
“It is necessary to counter the criterion of the lowest bid used in more than half of public procurements. The idea of early bargaining is positive; we will work among Social Partners on the Fisascat CISL proposal to reach a joint statement on the revision of the public procurement directives in the coming weeks,“ Mark Bergfeld, Director of UNI Property Services, welcomed the proposal.
As the EU revisits its procurement framework, Fisascat-CISL’s push for fairer practices could mark a turning point for Europe’s cleaning and facility services sector. Through early collective bargaining, social dialogue, and stronger partnerships, the hope is to uplift working conditions, professionalism, and equality across the industry.
