Brussels, 02/04/2009

Brussels, 02/04/2009 This vote significantly improves the initial proposal for the directive and addresses ETUC’s key concerns, notably patients’ rights and the scope of the directive, which is now limited to cross-border patient care and does not include freedom of movement of service providers. Improvements should nevertheless also be made:

Brussels, 17/03/2009

Brussels, 05/03/2009 ETUC notes that none of the over-arching objectives of the Lisbon Strategy has been met to date. Indeed, the Commission's joint report on social protection and social inclusion, presented yesterday, shows that 16% of Europeans live below the poverty threshold. Similarly, the rate of poor workers (8%) proves that not all jobs offer protection against poverty, a risk that is even greater for certain less favoured groups like children (19% exposed to the risk of poverty) or older people (notably women) (19% compared with 16% in 2006).

Brussels, 12/12/2009 The European Commission presented – as part of the ‘Renewed Social Agenda’ on 2 July 2008 – a proposal for a directive on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare. The objective of the proposal is to determine how patients can exercise their right - which has been recognised by the European Court of Justice (EJC) - to seek healthcare in other Member States.

Brussels, 17/12/2008

Brussels, 15/12/2008 The European trade unions demonstrated in the streets of Strasbourg on 16 December, on the eve of the European Parliament’s vote on the revision of the Working Time Directive. Their slogan was ‘Priority to workers' rights, not longer working hours’. The Euro-demonstration aimed to caution members of the European Parliament not to adopt a revision of the directive that would lead to a regression in European social policy.

Brussels, 4–5 March 2008 On 17 October 2007, the Commission published a new Communication, entitled Modernising social protection for greater social justice and economic cohesion: taking forward the active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market (COM (2007) 620 final), thus launching a second consultation phase of the social partners.

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, 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, 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.

Luxembourg, 05/07/2008 Europe’s trade unions have always been committed to European integration. We backed the internal market project, we supported European monetary union and we were an active champion of the enlargement of the European Union.

Brussels, June 2008

Brussels, 05/06/2008

Brussels, 04/06/2008 The ETUC addressed a letter to the Slovenian Minister of Labour expressing its disappointment with the current set of proposals on the table. According to the ETUC, these fall short of protecting workers against the health and safety hazards of long working hours, introduce an overall diminution of protection without proper safeguards, do not in any way provide for a proper balance between flexibility and security, and will create incentives for avoiding and evading collectively agreed solutions to flexibility needs of companies.

Brussels, 29/05/2008 - Eurociett / Uni-Europa Joint declaration on the directive on working conditions for temporary agency workers

Brussels, 21/05/2008

Brussels, 13/03/2008 To be checked against delivery Presidents, ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to be at this tripartite social summit this morning. These events are an important reminder of the need for Europe to have an effective social dimension. It is vitally important that Europe is successfully economically and environmentally but it must also be successful socially.

Brussels, 17/01/2008 This agreement reflects the common will – as unions engaged in pension or savings fund management or as cooperative, mutual and non-profit insurance companies or asset managers – to promote actively practices respectful of environmental, social and governance criteria (ESG) in the companies in which they hold shares.

Brussels, 06/12/2007 According to the ETUC, the increased cross-border mobility of workers, companies and agencies, signalling a Europeanisation of labour markets, demands minimum rules to ensure fair competition and protection of workers. However, the UK is leading a diminishing group of Member States in opposition, claiming that the proposals by the Portuguese presidency would harm the flexibility of its labour markets and cost jobs.

Brussels, 03/12/2007 “By approving the proposed Temporary Agency Workers Directive, you can extend much needed protection to several million vulnerable workers. You can revive the idea of an effective Social Europe. You can give reassuring substance to flexicurity.