Brussels, 03/12/2013
The Executive Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) today considered worrying developments in Ukraine and condemned the violent repression of demonstrators in Kiev.
They expressed regret that the conditions were not right for the partnership agreement with the EU to be concluded in Vilnius on 29 November 2013.
Adopted at the meeting of the Executive Committee on 3-4 December 2013
With the publication of REFIT (Regulatory Fitness and Performance: Results and Next Steps) on 2 October 2013, the Commission took yet another step in a process aimed at the deregulation of Europe, the dismantling of legislation protecting workers’ rights and the weakening of social dialogue.
Brussels, 22-23/10/2013
The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, declared the shutdown of ERT a threat to “freedom and pluralism in the media”. The public media as an independent voice is a pillar of western democratic systems and has the permanent role of monitoring and supervision of the other powers. Never before has such a case of the quasi elimination of the media happened in democratic systems. This case once again shows that economic democracy and democracy in the workplace in particular need to be strengthened.
Brussels, 22-23/10/2013
Key messages
• Europe’s major challenge is to transform what could be the end of a recession into a robust process of self-sustained growth, with mutually strengthening investment, demand and job creation adding to growth dynamics
• To achieve this, the strategy of austerity and structural deregulation needs major change
• Fiscal austerity must be relaxed further and both nominal as well as structural deficit targets must correspond to the state and intensity of the business cycle
Brussels, 23/10/2013
The current multi-faceted crisis exploded five years ago essentially in the financial sector; it triggered an economic and then a sovereign debt crisis.
To combat this crisis EU leaders have adopted and implemented policies through brutal austerity measures and internal devaluation.
This exacerbated the crisis, destroyed functioning economic structures, reduced consumption, increased inequalities and poverty, attacked wage levels, dramatically raised unemployment, jeopardised social cohesion and the support to the EU project.
Brussels, 23/10/2013
• The EU economic governance introduced unwanted interventions on collective bargaining and wage setting mechanisms, particularly through the CSRs.
• In this context a new method of internal and autonomous coordination is needed to prevent and/or counter such interventions, by involving the ETUC affiliates in a multi-level exercise (EU, national, sectoral), fully respecting the autonomy of social partners at the appropriate levels.
Brussels, 23/04/2013
Key messages;
• The key concern is that the EU needs real social investment. Social benefits bring value to individuals and to society and therefore it is justified to dedicate adequate budget resources to deliver social benefits and services to the people who are in need and entitled to social rights. Europe needs a real investment package to promote growth, employment and ensure economic and social cohesion. The ETUC has called for an additional investment equivalent to 1-2% of European GDP.
Brussels, 05-06/03/2013
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European migration policy is being deployed in a new institutional environment in which the European Parliament can intervene as co-legislator. It has opened doors to the greater involvement of civil society in a consultative role, from which the ETUC has benefitted as well.
Brussels, 05/03/2013
ETUC Declaration
The ETUC considers that the proposal to discuss a social dimension of the EMU is too restrictive. Our commitment to the process of European integration depends on the fact that Europe is not a free trade zone, but an area whose objectives are economic and social progress. Therefore a discussion on the social dimension of the EMU is only acceptable if it triggers social progress in the whole of the European Union.
Brussels, 05/03/2013
The ETUC considers that the proposal to discuss a social dimension of the EMU is too restrictive. Our commitment to the process of European integration depends on the fact that Europe is not a free trade zone, but an area whose objectives are economic and social progress. Therefore a discussion on the social dimension of the EMU is only acceptable if it triggers social progress in the whole of the European Union.
Brussels, 17/10/2012
1. The ETUC Executive Committee meeting on 17 October 2012 call for a day of action and solidarity on 14 November 2012, including strikes, demonstrations, rallies and other actions, mobilising the European trade union Movement behind ETUC policies as set down in the Social Compact for Europe.
Brussels, 19/04/2012
The Commission package on the posting of workers adopted on 21 March 2012 does not strike the right balance between protecting workers and facilitating cross-border service provision. The ETUC rejects the proposal for a Monti II Regulation and calls on the Commission to revise the Posting of Workers Directive.
Brussels, 06-07/03/2012
Introduction
The EU has made significant progress over the last 50 years in promoting greater equality between women and men in society and in the labour market. Since its foundation EU equal treatment legislation has contributed and will contribute to equal participation of women and men in Europe’s economy and society.
With the new mandate for the period 2010-2014 the Commission adopted different EU instruments to deal with gender equality:
Brussels, 07/03/2012
The ETUC Executive Committee meeting on 7 March 2012, expresses its full solidarity with the working people of Greece who are gravely and irreversibly affected by losses of jobs and income that erodes their ability to address the negative impact of the crisis.
Brussels, 19-20/10/2011
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}}In December 2011, international climate negotiators will converge on Durban (South Africa) for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With the Kyoto Protocol set to expire in 2012, these international negotiations are crucial to ensuring the future framework for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
