Commenting on the European Commission’s Work Programme 2016, the European Trade Union Confederation:
Welcomed the Work Programme Communication’s commitment to
Gloria Mills was today elected President of ETUC Women’s Committee.
“EU legislation was an important milestone on the road to women’s equality” said Gloria Mills, “and there is still a long way to go. ETUC Women’s Committee will increase its efforts to close the gender pay gap and smash the glass ceiling across Europe. We will give working women a voice in shaping the EU proposals for a better work/life balance which should be coming out next year.”
The European Commission today published a recommendation to establish ‘National Competitiveness Boards’ within the Euro area.
The ETUC
Questions the need for, and focus of, the proposed ‘Competitiveness Boards’;
Notes the recommendation’s recognition that these Boards “should not affect the right of workers and employers… to negotiate and conclude collective agreements”;
Governments, employers and trade unions must work together to enable European companies and workers to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation, and avoid job losses and worsening working conditions warned the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
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President Juncker
President Tusk
President Bettel
Vice President Dombrovskis
Commissioner Thyssen
Minister Schmit
Deputy Prime Minister Asscher
Minister Richter
Esteemed authorities,
Dear colleagues from social partners,
First of all let me tell you that the ETUC fully supports the European Commission’s initiatives to address the refugee emergency in Europe.
The ETUC is appalled that almost 1 in 4 Europeans is still at risk of poverty, according to statistics issued today by Eurostat.
While the EU 2020 strategy aims to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty by 20 million by 2020, that number has increased by 5 million since 2008, and in 2014 stood at 122 million, or 24.4% of the population.
“The ETUC welcomes the commitment made by Commissioner Thyssen to make the creation of decent jobs and social fairness her top priority,” said Veronica Nilsson, Deputy General Secretary of the ETUC.
25 % of EU citizens will experience mental health problems in their lifetime as result of poor work-design & high workloads according to EU estimates.
Cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, dermatologic problems, suicide, relationship problems with colleagues (as well as with family and friends), and increased risk of violence are all potential consequences of mental health problems. In turn employee performance and productivity, rates of sick leave, absenteeism, accidents and staff turnover all suffer as a result of such problems.
The ETUC has long called for trade deals that work for all, and welcomes the European Commission taking up the same call in its new strategy ‘Trade for All: Towards a more responsible trade and investment policy’.
“The Commission promises to promote sustainable development, human rights and good governance in future trade agreements,” said Liina Carr, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, “and we look forward to the EU translating those aspirations into reality.”
Speaking ahead of the European Summit, Luca Visentini, the new General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, will tell Presidents Juncker and Tusk and Prime Minister Bettel (chair of the rotating Council Presidency) at this morning’s ‘Tripartite Social Summit’ that the ETUC
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Delegates, colleagues, friends,
First of all I would like to thank you sincerely for the support you have expressed for me, for the President, and for the Secretariat for the next 4 years.
We've got a great new team now, and I'm really happy with that.
We have succeeded in ensuring full gender equality, and all geographical areas of Europe are represented. We have brought in colleagues who are full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to deliver ETUC policy.
Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, this afternoon said "The hearts and thoughts of all trade unionists are with the dead and the injured of this horrific attack in Ankara. We express our wholehearted solidarity with the victims, their families and loved ones."
Today the Tunisian trade union UGTT was named as one of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the National Dialogue Quartet for its role in the country's peaceful transition to democracy.
ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini warmly welcomed the award. “The UGTT richly deserve the prize and the recognition it brings” he said.
Dear Readers,
We have just published the Special Edition #ETUC15 Congress Highlights of the ETUC Newsletter.
To read the document, please click here.
Enjoy!
The European Economic and Social Committee starts its new term (2015-20) with the election of a new President, the long-serving European trade unionist Georges Dassis.
Dassis has been involved in the trade union movement from a young age, starting with activism against the colonels in Greece, then as an official of FGTB Belgium, and then in different roles representing trade unions at the ILO, for Italian trade union CISL, and at the ETUC.
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Esteemed authorities,
Members of the European Economic and Social Committee,
Dear colleagues,
It’s a great pleasure to be here today celebrating with the newly elected President of the Committee, our comrade and friend Georges Dassis, and the Presidents of the three groups Jacek Krawczyk, Luca Jahier and our colleague and friend Gabriele Bischoff.
I warmly congratulate all of you on behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation and the whole trade union movement in Europe.
Leaders of Europe’s national trade unions today elected Luca Visentini as new General Secretary, and Rudy de Leeuw as new President, of the European Trade Union Confederation.
They also adopted a new Manifesto and Action Programme 2015-19 ‘for quality jobs, workers’ rights and a fair society’.
ETUC Congress additionally elected two new Deputy General Secretaries – Veronica Nilsson (Sweden) and Peter Scherrer (Germany) and four Confederal Secretaries – Liina Carr (Estonia), Esther Lynch (Ireland), Monserrat Mir Roca (Spain), Thiébaut Weber (France).
Today national trade union leaders from all over Europe showed their support for an ambitious climate deal at the UN Climate Change Conference and called for the deal to include a ‘Just Transition’ for workers.
For photos of today’s climate action see https://www.flickr.com/photos/etuc-ces/sets/72157658916317060
For video of the climate action see https://youtu.be/VndM8pyFSso
