05/05/2008

Brussels, 02/05/2008 Once again the Turkish government has failed to recognise and safeguard fundamental rights, and in particular social and trade union rights. The ETUC continues to press the European Commission and the Turkish government to ensure effective respect for trade union freedoms in Turkey.

Brussels, 30/04/2008 ETUC has been calling for a long time for a revision of the EWC directive; this is the reason why it will strongly support the Commission’s plan to strengthen EWCs. ETUC reaffirms the importance of European Works Councils: indeed, they afford millions of workers across the European Union the right to information and consultation on company decisions through their EWC representatives, and that can affect a large number of workers. It's an important message to remember on the occasion of May Day.

Brussels, 28/04/2008 The ETUC report’s basic line is that macroeconomic policy cannot stand by and watch shocks multiply throughout the economy, ultimately giving rise to negative confidence and expectations becoming entrenched.

Brussels, 25/04/2008 According to the police, trade union leader Rosa Altagracia Fuentes was hit by 16 shots, showing that the killing was brutally premeditated. The ETUC has expressed its solidarity to the coordinating body of Central American and Caribbean trade unions (CSACC), to which the CTH is affiliated, and its support for investigations to solve this triple murder.

Brussels, 21/04/2008 A European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) delegation headed by Deputy General Secretary Maria Helena André, and composed of representatives from several national member confederations, took part in the Fourth EU-LAC Trade Union Summit. The trade union declaration calls for strong action to implement the association project between the two regions, launched at the Rio de Janeiro summit in 1999. It also stresses the need for reinforcement of integration projects on both continents.

- Ljubljana 3-4 avril 2008 - Rome 23-24 avril 2008

Harvard, 16/04/2008 The Germans have a word for it 'Schadenfreude', taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. And there are excuses for schadenfreude around in the trade union movement today as we contemplate the wreckage of the credit crunch and the newfound vulnerability of the financial services sector.

Brussels, 16/04/2008 The ECJ was called upon by the Irish Labour Court to interpret Directive 1999/70 which put into effect the framework agreement on fixed term work concluded in 1999 between ETUC, Businesseurope and CEEP. The framework agreement establishes the principle of equal treatment of fixed term workers with comparable full time workers, and obliges Member States to take measures to prevent abusive use of successive fixed term employment contracts.

Bruxelles, 16/04/2008

Brussels, 11/04/2008 This is because there would be insufficient time for both negotiations and for the issue to be dealt with in the lifetime of this Commission and Parliament. Furthermore, it has not been possible to identify a realistic basis for agreement on certain key issues on which there have been, and are, fundamental differences with BusinessEurope. For these reasons, social dialogue talks in the current circumstances are impracticable.

Brussels, 10/04/2008 In its response to the Commission’s consultation, it argued in favour of a broad initiative that would include discrimination on grounds of age, sexual orientation and religion. This would, in the ETUC’s view, be a clear case of ‘better regulation’ to avoid different rules governing different grounds of discrimination, giving rise to legal and practical inconsistencies, which could cause problems especially in situations of multiple discrimination.

Brussels, 09/04/2008 ETUC General Secretary John Monks said: “The people of Zimbabwe have spoken, and their voice must be heard. Delays in publishing the results of the election and apparent pressures being brought to bear by the authorities on members of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and other acts of intimidation give rise to fears that the Presidential election is being stolen. We express once more our solidarity with the trade union Movement in Zimbabwe”. The joint ZCTU-COSATU Statement

Brussels, 08/04/2008

Brussels, 8 April 2008 To be checked against delivery An ageing population, shifts in risk from employers to workers as jobs and pensions become less secure, the promotion of flexicurity and its key feature of slotting people into new jobs quickly as old ones disappear, the need for affordable child care, these are all factors which points inexorably to higher tax levels rather than lower ones.

Brussels, 07/04/2008 More than 50 trade union organisations from some 30 countries took to the streets of Ljubljana in Slovenia, proving that stagnating wages and purchasing power is a common problem hitting workers across Europe. A trade union delegation earlier met Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša to present the demonstrators' demands.

Ljubljana, 5/04/2008 To be checked against delivery President, Dusan, friends. Europe’s workers need a pay rise. Europe’s workers deserve a pay rise. And Europe’s workers are going to fight for a rise. That is our message to Europe’s leaders today. We cannot any longer tolerate declining purchasing power and real wages that do not match productivity growth. We cannot any longer stand by and watch the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.

Brussels, 04/04/2008 This Euro-demonstration is part of the ETUC's ongoing campaign for more equal pay, agreed last year at its Seville Congress, and coincides with the informal ECOFIN Council meeting of finance ministers in Slovenia. The ETUC demands equality of treatment for all workers, including migrants, young people, women and men.

Brussels, 04/04/2008 At the UN talks on climate change in Bangkok, the world is currently setting a concrete timetable to work towards a new climate deal to be reached by December 2009. It is therefore high time for the EU to establish the pace to be followed, in close partnership with the European cross-sectoral social partners (employers and trade unions).

Brussels, 03/04/2008

Brussels, 03/04/2008 “Our main objective is to see action to revise the directive during the lifetime of this European Commission and this Parliament,” said ETUC General Secretary John Monks. “We are ready to negotiate but only on a basis which includes a tight timetable and a quick conclusion to the negotiations. We will be following this up next week with the employers and the Commission.”

Brussels, 25/03/2008 Europe's workers face common problems: shrinking purchasing power, wage moderation and inequalities. That is why the European trade unions will mobilise on 5 April - the day the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meets in Slovenia - to call for higher pay, more purchasing power and fairer wages.