Brussels,14/11/2005 The trade union organisations taking part recognised that the achievements of the Barcelona process so far have fallen short of the objectives set in 1995. However, the partnership remains the right path to follow in the context of a difficult economic and political situation. The Barcelona process must be strengthened and revitalised. At the same time, they re-emphasised that democracy is the only framework allowing the development of workers' rights, social rights, and social dialogue.

Barcelona, 6-7/11/2005 To be checked against delivery Dear friends, It has been with a great interest that I have followed presentations and debates at this 3rd General Assembly of the Euromed Trade Union Forum. The setting up of this structure has been done in close cooperation and together with the ICFTU in 1999, and associating ICATU and USTMA. Let me recall the main reason for this initiative: it was to give a voice to the world of Labour in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation of the Barcelona process.

Barcelona, 6-7/11/2005

Brussels, 24/10/2005 The proposed directive on the portability of supplementary pensions rights which establishes some common ‘principles' (so these are not rights) seeks to improve the exercise of freedom of movement. This text will go before the European Parliament shortly. Despite its reservations on several points in this proposed directive, ETUC emphasises that it still has the merit of existing, and that these principles apply equally to people moving from one State to another and to those moving within a single country.

Brussels, 29/09/2005 To be checked against delivery I have listened with great attention to the previous speakers and especially to the “founding fathers” of the European Social Dialogue, a feature of the European social model that distinguishes Europe from the rest of the world.

Brussels, 29/09/2005 To be checked against delivery Today we honour and celebrate the past but most importantly, I hope, use it as an inspiration for the future. We may no longer be, to use a phrase, in the heroic age of Jacques Delors. But as the French votes, in particular, reminded us, many Europeans do not want a Europe in which social considerations are relegated in importance to the single market. Europe's leaders forget that lesson at Europe's peril.

Brussels, 20/09/2005 In particular, the ETUC has asked its affiliates to:

Brussels, 08/09/2005 The original proposal aimed to oblige employers to take action relating both to information and protection. The main change concerns the removal of reference to 'solar radiation' - the principal source of a growing number of skin cancers. Employers' responsibility is now transferred to the discretion of Member States.

Brussels, 27/06/05 The ETUC regrets that once again the European Union is making liberalisation proposals of services markets to the WTO without the involvement of social partners and without a serious assessment of all the implications for Europe and for the developing countries having been made previously.

Brussels, 20/06/2005

Brussels, 03/06/2005 All eyes are on Brussels, following France and the Netherlands' rejection of the Constitution, to see what EU decision-makers can do to restore citizens' confidence. The first step must be to show they are listening to demands for a stronger Social Europe.

Madrid, 01/06/2005 To be checked against delivery President, It is a special pleasure for me to be present with you at the Congress of the UGT, and to be with my friend and colleague, the President of the ETUC, Candido Mendez. In the two years, we have been working together, I have developed tremendous respect and affection for Candido - feelings which, by the way, are general within the European trade union world. He is a credit to the ETUC and to the UGT and to Spain.

Brussels, 26/05/2005 ETUC hopes this aid will be allocated to priority social objectives: education, health, social rights, decent work, social protection, social dialogue, particularly as part of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

09/01/2014

London, 09/05/2005 To be checked against delivery It's almost 20 years since I first became associated with the IPA. For me the partnership journey was a response to the wreckage of the miners' strike of 1984/85 and the loss and diminution of large swathes of UK manufacturing (and trade union membership). There was little doubt in my mind that the adversarial model of industrial relations was playing a major part - not the only part, not in most cases the biggest part - but a major part nevertheless in the UK's industrial decline.

Brussels, 13/05/2005 “Stability and reform are not enough. If we really want to relaunch the Lisbon agenda, then we also need to act on the demand side,” says ETUC General Secretary John Monks. “Europe can do this by using the strength derived from acting together.''

Brussels, 10/05/2005 Although it represents some reduction in workers' potential involvement, the ETUC recognises that the standards achieved by the EU directive on workers' participation in the European company (SE) have been maintained. Negotiations on the degree of workers' board-level representation must be started in every case where different levels under national law are concerned or workers from one of the merging companies enjoyed this right before. Thus, no workers will lose their participation rights in a cross-border European merger.

Brussels, 09/05/2005 This draft directive is based on a European social partner agreement concluded by ETF and CER (employers) signed after nine months of negotiations on 27 January 2004. This agreement defines European minimum standards regarding breaks, daily and weekly rest time and maximum driving time. It also includes aspects relating to the balance between professional and private life for personnel concerned by limiting the number of rests away from home.

Brussels, 21/04/2005

Brussels, 20/04/2005 Ms Gebhardt tries to get it right and excludes, from the outset, labour relations and services of general interest from the scope of the directive. We do not have the whole picture yet, says the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), we are waiting for the second part. But it is clearly a step in the right direction. It is important to make the directive watertight against social dumping, and totally to exclude labour and employment law from the scope of an internal market directive.

Dundee, 18/04/2005 To be checked against delivery I bring there greetings from the European TUC to the Scottish TUC. Very understandably the emphasis here is on the General Election on May 5. Those of us who lived and worked for the Movement through the dark days of the 80s and 90s will know how important this election - any general election - is for the trade unionism.

Brussels, 14/04/2005 (Speech) To be checked against delivery JM/cd History European social dialogue practices have over time become more diversified and broader in scope. At every step of the way, the ETUC has sought to play a positive and pro-active role.

Brussels, 12/04/2005 The ECB's concern about inflation is not justified by the facts. Instead it should be acting to stem the renewed decline in economic growth, says ETUC General-Secretary John Monks, in response to last Thursday's ECB decision to keep rates unchanged, and President Jean-Claude Trichet's press comments.

Brussels, 30/03/2005 After due consideration by its executive committee, the ETUC today called on the European Commission and the European Parliament not to accept the argument of UEFA that there should be a “sports” exception to the principle of EU wide freedom of movement of labour.

Brussels, 23/03/2005 John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC, strongly welcomed these moves and said: “This is a victory for the ETUC, but a victory in a battle, not a war. The need now is to ensure that any new services directive is based on high standards, and is not designed to lower terms and conditions of employment, and undermine public services.