Trade unions are urging Ireland to use its Presidency of the Council of the European Union to support stronger worker protections as the EU prepares to reform its public procurement rules later this year.

Euractiv reports that cleaners, catering staff and other workers whose employment often depends on public contracts staged a demonstration in Dublin as Ireland prepares to lead Council negotiations on the European Commission's review of procurement legislation in September.

The unions are calling for revised rules that require companies competing for public contracts to demonstrate fair pay, collective bargaining arrangements and acceptable working conditions, rather than relying primarily on price when contracts are awarded.

Oliver Roethig, regional secretary of UNI Europa, said the reform presents an opportunity for European leaders to improve conditions for workers facing continued cost-of-living pressures. He argued that although existing EU procurement rules encourage contracting authorities to consider overall value rather than simply selecting the lowest-priced bid, implementation has fallen short of that objective.

According to UNI Europa, more than half of public tenders across the European Union continue to be awarded primarily on the basis of lowest price. The organisation argues that this approach discourages employers that invest in collective agreements and higher employment standards from competing for government contracts.

The debate comes as public procurement reform increasingly extends beyond questions of supply security and "Buy European" policies to include wider social considerations. Trade unions, employers, academics and civil society organisations are calling for procurement rules that also recognise how goods and services are produced and the conditions under which workers are employed.

The European Commission said working conditions can already be considered when awarding public contracts and reaffirmed the importance of collective bargaining while respecting national labour systems and the autonomy of social partners.

The European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee have also supported measures that would strengthen the role of collective agreements in procurement and exclude companies found to have breached workers' rights from participating in public tenders.