- 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.