This article was first published in the chemicals policy briefing Toxic-Free for EU No 147, which you can consult here.
(8 October 2026) The European trade union industriAll challenged chemical companies for not investing in European plants while making large profits.
In its #EnoughIsEnough campaign, industriAll criticises its employers’ decisions to invest abroad and boost shareholders’ payouts instead of pursuing a long-term strategy to build Europe’s industrial future.
“Europe’s chemical workers have had enough of being told there is no money to invest while billions continue to flow to shareholders. The money is there. The question is what companies choose to do with it. We need investment in European plants”, said General Secretary Judith Kirton-Darling.
“Where public money is used, there must be a clear return for society: good industrial jobs, production and investment anchored in Europe. No blank cheques or free ETS allocations without conditionalities attached, no public money for dividends or buybacks, and no support for companies that take the money and then close or relocate”.
- IndustriAll, press release on the campaign (8 Oct. 2026)
- IndustriAll, flyer on the demands (Sept. 2026)