Brussels, 13/11/2008 John Monks declared: ‘Some 90 years after the end of the First World War in which millions of combatants died in the trenches of Europe, members of the armed services are still getting a raw deal.’

Brussels, 05/11/2008 ETUC General Secretary John Monks commented: ‘The European trade unions cannot but welcome this vote, which represents an important victory on this issue. We now call on the European Parliament to adopt a firm position with regard to the Commission and Council at the vote in plenary on 17 December. The European trade union movement will demonstrate on 16 December in Strasbourg to ask the European Parliament to reject the Council's decision and to confirm its position adopted at first reading.’

Brussels, 31/10/2008 European governments and central banks are trying to save the financial economy by directly supporting banking activity and cutting interest rates. This is necessary and welcome. However, the real economy also urgently needs saving. Economic activity, aggregate demand and jobs require immediate support. In the absence of such support, the downturn in the real economy will:

Brussels, 30/10/2008 ‘It’s unacceptable for chrysotile asbestos to once again escape the regulatory mechanisms for hazardous substances provided for by the Rotterdam Convention. The lives of hundreds of thousands of workers are at risk, as is the credibility of the Convention’, states ETUC Confederal Secretary Walter Cerfeda, who is in charge of health and safety at work. Canada is supposedly once again trying to form a coalition of countries to block the inclusion of chrysotile on the list of substances covered by the Rotterdam Convention.

Brussels, 23 October 2008

Brussels, 22 October 2008 ETUC was particularly satisfied with the way the Council solved the issue of equal treatment between agency workers and workers in the user enterprise – the most contentious issue in the Directive which blocked progress for the past 6 years. The Directive will not anymore introduce a general qualifying period before the equal treatment principle would apply as was proposed previously, but instead only allows for derogation by collective agreement or – under specific conditions – by agreement between the national social partners.

Brussels, 17/10/2008 Human trafficking, as one of the worst forms of exploitation of migrant workers, has in previous years been identified as a priority issue on European and international trade union agendas. As a result, the Greek General Confederation of Labour GSEE is hosting a conference in Athens on 21–23 November 2008, organised in cooperation with ITUC, PERC and ETUC, to develop a specifically targeted trade union strategy to better defend the rights of these ‘invisible’ workers. 

Brussels, 17/10/2008 “Civil Society Dialogue: bringing together workers from Turkey and the EU through a shared culture” is the name of the ambitious European project meant to ensure better knowledge and understanding of one another among Turkish and European workers.

Brussels, 17/10/2008 "The financial crisis must not weaken the objectives of the energy and climate change package or postpone its adoption, scheduled for the end of 2008. On the contrary, the crisis reinforces the need for massive investments in energy savings and renewable energy to make our economies less dependent on imports of oil and gas", declared ETUC Confederal Secretary Joël Decaillon.

Brussels, 16/10/2008 The ETUC Executive Committee gave broad support for the outcome of the talks conducted by the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary with BusinessEurope, and decided on this basis to ask the European Parliament to aim to complete its considerations by the end of the year. Otherwise there is a real risk that the issue could fall through lack of time.

Brussels, 15/10/08

Brussels, 14/10/08 As highlighted by John Monks, ETUC General Secretary: 'Casino capitalism has failed and policy must change track. Europe can no longer allow its members to pursue the typical agenda of the national interest. If ‘beggar-thy-European neighbour’ policies continue, things will get pretty ugly. Instead, Europe needs to bundle resources and mobilize the power of acting together.’ We need a European policy reply in order to:

Brussels, 14/10/08 A day ahead of the European Tripartite Social Summit – at which ETUC participates – and the European Council, representatives of ETUC-affiliated trade unions will discuss the current state of the financial system and the economy. This meeting will provide trade unions the opportunity to send out clear messages to European policymakers regarding the topics on the agenda at the European Council, namely the financial crisis and the energy and climate change package.

Brussels, 09/10/2008 Workers’ rights and economic freedoms – View from ETUC A British trade union lawyer colleague of mine who is here today termed the recent quartet of legal judgments in the European Court of Justice – an accident waiting to happen.

Brussels, 08/10/2008 Joint statement from TUAC, ITUC and ETUC

Brussels, 08/10/2008

Brussels, 06/10/2008 In the context of this World day for decent work, John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, will take part in the activities organised by ETUC's Belgian members on the morning of 7 October. “This World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) is essential for the trade union movement. Every confederation will contribute by one way or another. As for us, we will put great emphasis on decent working time. Our key message will be: for decent wages and decent working hours”, declares ETUC General Secretary John Monks.

Brussels, 03/10/2008

Brussels, 02/10/2008 With the economy already in recession and with the financial sector balancing on the edge of a cliff, this is defying logic. With short-term interest rates higher than long-term interest rates, an already cracking financial system is being stressed even further. Says John Monks, General Secretary of ETUC, ‘The ECB is still fighting the inflation of the past. It is time for them to wake up to reality and see the urgency of the situation, even if this means admitting that the June rate hike was a mistake’.

Brussels, 01/10/2008

Brussels, 29 September 2008 With their ‘London Declaration’, European trade union leaders analyse the financial crisis and call for justice and tough action.

Brussels, 26 September 2008 The EPAs are a new trade arrangement between Europe and the ACP countries which aim at putting their trade relationships in conformity with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. However, there is concern that EPAs could require ACP countries to open their economies unsustainably beyond their world-level commitments.

Brussels, 25 September 2008 Professor Brian Bercusson passed away at the age of 60 years suddenly but peacefully on 17 August 2008 at his home in Tuscany. He was born in 1947 in Montreal, Canada, and came to the United Kingdom to study law at the London School of Economics in 1967. Professor Bercusson obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge and was appointed as a Research Fellow at Christ’s College in 1974.

Brussels, 25 September 2008 Georges Debunne has without a doubt left a lasting impact on several generations of trade unionists.