ETUC calls Day of Action for a Social Europe, April 2-3 2004

international | public consultation / irish social forum | press release

Monday December 29, 2003 17:16

by DAPSE - DAPSE

ETUC calls Day of Action for a Social Europe, April 2-3 2004

A Cháirde,
A statement by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) follows. The message is radical and is a break from all that the ETUC has said and done in the recent past. We will see what is its real meaning.

At stake is :
Will there be a genuine common action between between the ETUC and the social movement(s)? Linked to that is the timetable of mobilisations in the next six months.

The ETUC's comments on the socially negative features of the draft European Constitution help organisations in Ireland like DAPSE.
Regards,
John

THE EUROPEAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ETUC) CALLS FOR A EUROPEAN DAY OF ACTION

The ETUC has decided to call a European Day of action on the 2nd and 3rd April 2004 to demand a more social Europe. Hundreds of thousands of citizens will demonstrate to support a Europe of democracy, justice, equality, tolerance and freedom.

John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC, said that Social Europe is under threat along with the national collective bargaining and welfare systems of individual member states. There are widespread attempts by Governments including those of the Centre left to:

Weaken welfare unilaterally;
Privatise public services;
Undermine social dialogue;
Block new social measures at the European level;
Encourage the US-originated doctrine of shareholder value to be the goal of all companies, in contrast to the traditional multi-stakeholder and social dialogue approach of European businesses.

This is totally unacceptable and Trade Unions must make their voice heard.

The single market in Europe was always going to cause huge changes and restructuring for millions of working people. The accession of 10 new countries in 2004 is going to increase the movement of capital and people. Both developments have been supported by the ETUC but on the condition that a strong social platform of worker rights, social dialogue, collective bargaining, decent welfare states and high quality public services and services of general interest are put in place to help people handle change.

This is not happening.

Governments are refusing to include adequate safeguards for Social Europe in the proposed new Constitution. Unless the policies and instruments (Part III) of the Constitution are brought into line with the objectives (Part I), the constitutional basis for Social Europe will be inadequate. The ETUC supports a new constitution for Europe and deplores the inability of Governments to agree one, on the basis of the result of the Convention on the future of Europe. The ETUC now wants to see early action to agree a Constitution with a strong social dimension. Otherwise, Europe will grind to a halt and the prospect of social advances will recede still further. < /P>

So, the ETUC calls on all its national affiliates and industry federations to organise on 2-3 April across Europe:

Protest action and mass demonstrations in the capitals and in the major cities of Europe;

Conferences and briefing sessions to raise the awareness of workers about what is at stake, and to alert them to the dangers posed by the US business way and its mere reliance on shareholder value.

Media campaigns to highlight our case for a strong social Europe to balance the single market and to contribute to a successful unification of Europe.

We want millions to be involved on April 2-3. We must make an impact on the thinking of Governments, businesses and all citizens.

We must stand up and be counted in support of
More solidarity and justice;
More social cohesion, equality and tolerance;
A strong European social model;
A socially oriented Constitution.
Our Europe is a social Europe - A social Europe is our Europe.
For more information, please call: Press Department: + 32 (0) 2 224 04 30
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fde-antigatsIreland/

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Comments (2 of 2)

yes it does seem to be a break. (but you'll get that)

by the ipsiphi - i am unafiliated to the only €U superstate trade union. and chances are so too are you.

Tue Dec 30, 2003 13:46

the €TUC is the heavy artillery unit of the €U trade unions. It was founded in 1974 as the social democratic syndicalist umbrella counter balance to European integrationist capitalist and employers.
They didn't quite put it that way, but that's what they were thinking.
By 1999, it had signed on behalf of it's affiliated unions, (which by then were the largest unions in most of Europe __but not all__) three major framework agreements at a crucial time for "€U integration".
In the last years the French trade unions have altered and many unions from the East have joined.
€TUC is recognised by the €uropean Union, by the Council of €urope and by €FTA as the only representative cross-sectoral trade union organisation at €uropean level.

fancy that, *_the only one_*.
There fore with 60,000,000 members including ICTU, they are "very powerful". And their leaders are proper leaders in the old fashioned mould. [with big desks, and beards, and jumpers, and balls]
But they operate a non-smoking policy in the offices which are in Brussels.

check the web:
http://www.etuc.org

Wim Bergans
Press Spokesman
+32-(0)2-2240588
+32-(0)475-721720
wbergans@etuc.org

Patricia Grillo
Head of Communications
+32-(0)2-2240430
+32-(0)477-770164
Pgrillo@etuc.org

Emanuela Bonacina
Press Officer
+32-(0)2-2240432
ebonacina@etuc.org

You might like to ask them for Ca$h to organise the Irish side of things for April 3/4. Or do you trust ICTU to spend it on eye catching banners and baseball caps?

Sell out

by short fuse

Wed Dec 31, 2003 01:52

Shure dem fellas would sell ye out at the drop of a hat ... and may already have done so ....

Ye'd be better off using the postal services to get yeer message across ... writing directly to Romano Prodi & Co. ..... if ye know what I mean ... and I'm sure ye do .......

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ETUC calls Day of Action for a Social Europe, April 2-3 2004

Comments (2 of 2)