Rue de la Loi: The European Commission is preparing to table its Quality Jobs Act before the end of 2026, but EU governments have signalled clear limits on how far the law should go. A round table of labour ministers showed broad support for the principle and deep splits on algorithmic management, the right to disconnect and subcontracting.
Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu presented the outline of the Quality Jobs Act to employment ministers in Luxembourg on 19 October. She promised a text “by the year end” and described it as “targeted but not exhaustive”, according to the IR Share newsletter, which published a detailed account of the debate on 4 November.
Mînzatu named four areas: the right to disconnect, algorithmic management and artificial intelligence, health and safety at work, and subcontracting. She said the proposal would build on existing EU law, rely on impact assessments and avoid new burdens on companies, “especially SME”.
Twenty-six national delegations took the floor on the Quality Jobs Act. Most backed the goal of better jobs, but nearly all demanded proportionality, no duplication of existing rules and respect for the autonomy of trade unions and employers.
Algorithmic management drew the sharpest caution. Finland, Czechia and France want the Commission first to assess how the AI Act, the General Data Protection Regulation and the Platform Work Directive work in practice. Austria alone called for extending the platform work rules on algorithms to all workers.
The right to disconnect split the room along familiar lines. Spain, Italy, Slovakia and France support common EU principles, while Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Sweden insist the matter belongs to national collective bargaining.
Subcontracting chains produced another divide. Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria and Spain want the main contractor liable for the whole chain. France, Italy, Belgium, Estonia and Slovakia prefer better enforcement of current law through the European Labour Authority, and Poland and Slovakia reject any cap on subcontracting levels.
Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz stood out as the strongest advocate of ambition, calling for “more rights and more social cohesion”. A large majority did back an update of the Workplace and Display Screen Equipment directives, which many ministers now see as outdated.
The Commission has completed both formal stages of social partner consultation on the Quality Jobs Act. The first ran from 4 December 2025 to 29 January 2026, and the second opened on 20 July 2026 and closed in September, according to the European Parliament Legislative Train tracker. The tracker still lists the file as announced, with the proposal expected by the end of 2026.
The second consultation covered algorithmic management and AI at work, psychosocial risks, rights in subcontracting chains, just transitions and a stronger role for social partners. Unions and employers could still choose to negotiate their own agreement instead of waiting for legislation.
The Quality Jobs Act forms a central part of the 2026 Commission work programme and follows a roadmap the Commission published in December 2025. Trade unions see it as the main social file of this mandate, while business groups warn against new reporting duties at a time of weak growth.
Once the Commission adopts the proposal, the Parliament and the Council will each set positions, a process likely to run well into 2027. The ministers’ reservations, reported by IR Share, suggest the Quality Jobs Act will face a long negotiation in the Council before any new rights reach workers.
