Commenting on the European Commission’s  announcement today of its priorities for dealing with the refugee crisis in 2016, Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said    “Europe needs to show humanity, solidarity and responsibility to the refugees. They are risking their lives to escape war and poverty. The Commission seem more concerned not to criticize the member states, however badly they are behaving, instead of proposing effective solutions to an emergency which will grow during 2016.”

On the eve of a discussion in the College of European Commissioners on giving ‘Market Economy Status’ to China, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) underlines the risk to European industry and jobs.  “The European Union has clear criteria for market economy status” said ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini “and China clearly does not meet them. What’s more, it would open the EU to unlimited dumping of Chinese goods on our market which would be catastrophic for European manufacturing and jobs.”

ETUC welcomes the agreement reached today between trade unions and employers in central government administrations. The agreement sets out common minimum standards for the rights of workers and their trade union representatives to be informed and consulted. Workers will be better placed to deal with their employers when these seek changes in the work place. It gives workers a say when the employer proposes restructuring, or changes in working time. It also allows workers to propose health and safety or work/life balance improvements.

Commenting on the lack of new initiatives from the European Council to tackle the refugee crisis, Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said: “EU leaders are completely failing to step up to the scale of the humanitarian crisis inside and outside the EU. It is deeply disappointing, and makes life more difficult for the refugees and communities struggling to host them, that our leaders have done little more than agree to carry out previous decisions.

Dear Readers, We have just published the December 2015 edition of the ETUC Newsletter. To read the document, please click here. Enjoy!

The ETUC and its British (TUC) and Italian affiliates (CGIL, CISL, UIL) deplore the social implications of the call for a two speed Europe as outlined by Foreign Ministers Gentiloni and Hammond in their joint article published on 15 December (see link below).

On International Migrants Day, December 18, European trade unions

Today - Wednesday December 16 - the European Court of Justice has ruled that the European Commission breached EU law in the way it has managed the issue of endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs). The Court found that the EU Commission failed to adopt criteria for testing endocrine disruptors, contrary to EU legal provisions setting strict deadlines for protecting health. In June 2014, Sweden decided to take legal action against the Commission, and was supported by the European Parliament and several Member States.

The European Council is meeting tomorrow and Friday to discuss 6 issues: the refugee crisis, terrorism, economic and monetary union, internal market, energy union and the United Kingdom. What’s new to look out for? The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) will be watching out for the following:

Today, Tom Vrijens was elected President of the Youth Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). ETUC Youth Committee elected its President and its ‘bureau’, the governing body which steers political decisions.  

Commenting on employment figures for Q3 2015 that show a 1.1% increase in the Euro area and the EU 28 compared to the same quarter last year, and a 0.3% increase in the Euro area, and 0.4% in the EU28 compared to the previous quarter; Veronica Nilsson, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), said “If this is a recovery it is painfully slow.”

The ETUC welcomes the announcement made by Finance Ministers on going ahead with a Financial Transaction Tax. ETUC Deputy General Secretary Veronica Nilsson said “The FTT is still on track after all this time, although many of the key details still need to be worked out.”

Montserrat Mir, ETUC Confederal Secretary, calls for an ambitious and binding climate agreement at COP21 with a Just Transition for workers More info: cop21.etuc.org