Athens, 05/05/2010 I bring greetings and messages of solidarity from the 80 affiliates and 60 million members of the European Trade Union Confederation. Everyone in the ETUC knows the seriousness of the situation. Everyone appreciates that things must change. But everyone too knows that the response of the EU so far to the Greek crisis has been hesitant, clumsy, and now positively dangerous, not just to Greece but to Europe.

Brussels, 04/05/2010 As a result, Greece will enter into a deflationary recession lasting several years. Unemployment will be pushed up well into the double digit numbers. Poverty, already hitting 20% of the Greek population, will jump further upwards. And four years from now, with nominal GDP having fallen considerably, Greece and its citizens will still be shouldering a mountain of debt of 140% of GDP. .

Madrid, 04-05/05/2010 Dear Colleagues, This is the fifth time we meet for a European and Latin American and Caribbean trade union Summit. The ETUC places great store in this relationship, which we want to deepen further. Over the next 2 days we will take stock of the outcomes since the Lima meeting two years ago, and prepare for the next phase. We will condense our thoughts in a declaration for presentation to the current rotating President of the EU, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, at the Summit meeting in a couple of weeks.

Brussels, 30/04/2010

Brussels, 28/04/2010

Brussels, 21/04/2010 ETUC Confederal Secretary Józef Niemiec will participate in the action day for the development of a genuine industrial policy in Europe and quality jobs in line with the policy of combating climate change and reducing CO2 emissions without penalising energy-intensive industries.

Brussels, 15/04/2010

Brussels, 13/04/2010 Commissioner De Gucht remarked "Free trade agreements can open new avenues to secure improvements in the protection of human rights, including labour rights. Trade policy can help, not hinder, legitimate social concerns. With our new agreements with Korea and Colombia, we will be doing just that."

Brussels, 13/04/2010 “Many of the people who died were associated with, and known to the Polish trade union Movement” said John Monks, General Secretary of the ETUC. The tragedy is intensified by the fact that those on the plane were to attend the scene of another Polish tragedy, the massacre at Katyn of members of the Polish ‘elite’ during the Second World War. Tragedy has been piled on top of tragedy.”

Brussels, 09/04/2010 John Monks added: “It is only right and fair that speculations that account for a majority of many financial transactions should pay tax on their activities. The EU should urge the G20 to introduce such a tax urgently so that it can be used to contribute towards the heavy costs being incurred in combating the financial crisis.” - Video : ETUC supports a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT)

Brussels, 29/03/2010

Brussels, 25/03/2010 With the EU unemployment rate currently at 9.5%, urgent and determined action is needed. Europe cannot afford such a waste of talent. Europe must make full use of its labour force potential, improve job quality and increase employment rates in the face of demographic ageing.

Brussels, 24/03/2010 This was ETUC’s message in 2004, when it was first consulted on the revision of the Working Time Directive (WTD). This is again ETUC’s message, in a first response to the Commission’s communication, adopted today, with which it is starting a new round of consultations on the revision of the WTD.