Brussels, 19/10/2006 The ETUC opposes attempts to remove the Charter of Fundamental Rights. For the European trade union movement, it is absolutely essential to have a strong social Europe and to retain the whole Charter as a key element of the Constitution. The ETUC continues to support the Constitution, and in particular the core elements:

Brussels, 17/10/2006 Trade union leaders will examine, among other items, proposals for safeguarding vital public services in Europe, following the European Parliament's call in September for a legal framework for services of general (economic) interest (SGIs and SGEIs).

Brussels, 12/10/2006 It is now six years since the European social partners were first consulted on the need to review systems of labour law to make sure that they are relevant to a modern organisation of work. Yet the Commission still fails to publish a Green Paper, despite announcing it several times. In the meantime, several Member States have made reforms to their labour law that, far from creating better jobs, are leading to a two-tier labour market with growing insecurity for the most vulnerable groups of workers.

Brussels, 11/10/2006

Oslo, 10/10/2006 To be checked against delivery Thank you for the opportunity to attend and address this YS conference. Europe is not always top of a list of the people of Norway's favourite ideas. So an opportunity to talk about its significance and importance to working people in our continent and in Norway is welcome.

Brussels, 10/10/2006 Environment Committee MEPs today endorsed by a large majority Parliament's first reading position on the application of the substitution principle in REACH. The ETUC welcomes this vote, because the rule is wholly in line with European Carcinogens Directive 2004/37/EC which requires employers to replace these dangerous substances where a safer alternative is available.

Brussels, 05/10/2006 Following the suspension of World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations and the crisis within the international institutions, European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has failed to resist the temptation to enter into bilateral accords, which give growing power to the strongest parties. The ETUC believes that the EU is in danger of missing a historic opportunity to use its capacity to promote development and fair international exchange, to create the basis for a new approach to external relations.

Brussels, 04/10/2006 Says ETUC General Secretary John Monks: “If the euro area is to experience continued growth, then the recovery needs to become self-reliant. European workers need a raise, and the ECB must realise that reasonable wage increases are part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

Milan, 01/10/2006 To be checked against delivery Cari compagni e compagne, è un grande piacere, per me, essere qui con voi per questa importante occasione : il centenario della CGIL. A century is an extraordinary occasion to appreciate the history of the most important Union in the World! I confess that I say that to all the girls, to all the unions especially those who have their 100th birthday. It is rare to find, in our world, a trade union not only of such an venerable age but also one with the rich history of CGIL.

Brussels, 28/09/2006

Brussels, 28/09/2006 Countries that require advance notice for dismissal, establish a working week of less than 66 hours or set minimum wages above a certain very low level are considered investment-unfriendly, according to the World Bank's logic. By the same absurd reasoning, a tiny country like the Marshall Islands is declared ‘best performer' because of having no labour code at all.

Szczecin, 28/09/2006 To be checked against delivery President, friends, it is a great honour for me to come to the city of Szczecin, one of the birthplaces of the Solidarnosc and therefore of free, independent trade unionism. 26 years after the momentous events of 1980, I pay tribute today to the courageous, pioneer trade unionists of Szczecin to whom democracy owes so much. I am not of course forgetting what happened in Gdansk and other centres but no-one should forget either the contribution made by workers of this city.

Brussels, 26 September 2006

Brussels, 25/09/2006 ? Workers will have equal representation on the supervisory board of the SE (European company) In future, in line with staff numbers, a group of European workforce representatives will defend the interests of workers from a total of 29 countries on the company's highest body, its supervisory board. UNI-Europe Finance Vice-President Jörg Reinbrecht will be one of the workforce representatives.

Brussels, 22/09/2006 On 13 September, the Zimbabwean Police arrested and assaulted hundreds of trades unionists, following peaceful protests by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trades Unions (ZCTU) over the state of the economy and food shortages.

Brussels, 20/09/2006 Services of general interest are acknowledged as one of the pillars of the European social model: that being the case, they have to be safeguarded. This is why the ETUC is convinced that a framework directive on SGEIs is necessary. Accordingly, and in order to counter the Commission's refusal to prepare such a directive, the ETUC is proposing the key elements which such a directive should include.

Brussels, 19/06/2006 Under REACH, authorisations can be granted to use substances of very high concern like carcinogens. But the European Carcinogens Directive says employers must replace these substances by safer alternatives. Are we heading for a clash between these two sets of laws? This kind of issue on how REACH links up with Community health and safety at work legislation loomed large in the discussions between the 160-plus attendees, who included representatives from the European Parliament, Council, Commission, industry and NGOs.

Helsinki,8/09/2006 To be checked against delivery At a recent meeting with Eero Heinäluoma, I was asked by the Finnish Presidency to address today the questions of boosting Europe's investment in R&D and innovation. Finland has a good record, but outside a small number of countries and / or sectors, pre-eminently, pharmaceuticals, investment levels are worryingly low.

Helsinki, 08 September 2006 To be checked against delivery I should like first to thank our Finnish affiliates (SAK, AKAVA, STTK) for organising this important meeting, and for the opportunity to meet high Government representatives, as one has come to expect in this country, a home to social dialogue. The Asia-Europe Meetings process is now 10 years old. So this is a good opportunity to take stock, and to look to the future.

Brussels, 08/09/2006 Said John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC): “The Asia Europe Meetings process is now 10 years old, so it's a good moment to take stock and look to the future. At the ETUC, we have pressed for trade union involvement in this framework of relationships between Asia and Europe. The ETUC supports the EU in its efforts to promote sustainable economic and social development through ASEM.”

Brussels, 06/09/2006

Berlin, 30/08/2006 To be checked against delivery Chancellor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends and colleagues, Mitbestimmung: a word that, translated into other languages, is producing misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The most evident example is the long-lasting tradition of the French to translate Mitbestimmung into “co-gestion”. If you transfer that term into English, Mitbestimmung becomes co-management.

Brussels, 03/08/2006

Brussels, 25/07/2006 The Doha Round should have been the development round, especially for the poorest countries. The breakdown in negotiations reveals a blind stubbornness, in particular on the part of the richest nations and now some emerging countries, which have tried to insist on acquiring competitive advantages in areas that are key to their own interests.

Brussels, 20/07/2006