Speech given by Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation OPZZ Congress [Check against delivery]     I bring you warm and fraternal greetings from the workers of Europe.  I am very glad to share with you a special moment in the life of OPZZ:  your congress and your 30th anniversary.  Happy birthday.  Sto lat.  

Commenting on the European elections, European Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Bernadette Ségol said “The voters have sent a warning to all mainstream and governing parties. European citizens are fed up with unemployment, austerity and falling living standards.”  

Leaders of the American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations and the European Trade Union Confederation today called for a “gold standard” EU-US trade deal that improves living and working conditions on both sides of the Atlantic As part of meetings today in Berlin, representatives from the AFL-CIO and ETUC concluded that increasing transatlantic trade could create new jobs and share prosperity, but must be done in a way that helps all working people.

Speech given by Bernadette Ségol, ETUC General Secretary DGB Congress in Berlin Check against delivery   Ladies and Gentlemen, I would first like to congratulate you on electing Reiner Hoffmann as Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation.

Commenting on the coal mine disaster in Soma, Turkey, where over 200 miners are believed to have lost their lives, Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said: “My heart goes out to the miners and their families. They have suffered a devastating loss of life. My thoughts are also with the efforts of the rescue and emergency services to save lives.”

100 BEST PRACTICES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AT WORK   A ‘toolkit’ of initiatives to promote gender equality is launched today in Madrid in a joint initiative by European employers and trade union organisations.   About 100 initiatives from 25 European countries are contained in the online toolkit accessible via: WWW.ERC-ONLINE.EU/GENDERTOOLKIT It will be finalised by the EU social partners in the coming weeks. The initiatives include:

Discorso pronunciato da Bernadette Ségol, Segretaria generale della CES Congresso della CGIL Fa fede solo il discorso pronunciato   Presidente, Cara Susanna, Care compagne, Cari compagni   Vi porto il caloroso e fraterno saluto dei lavoratori di tutta Europa. Sono felice di condividere con voi questo momento forte e importante della vita della CGIL: il vostro Congresso nazionale. 

The EU-Canada trade agreement – which may be concluded on May 8 at the Foreign Affairs Council – should not be used as a ‘Trojan horse’ to smuggle in a controversial Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) warned the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). “This looks like a cynical attempt to create a fait accompli for the EU-US trade talks” said Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the ETUC “and to undermine opposition to ISDS.”

Commenting on today’s European Commission spring 2014 economic forecast, Veronica Nilsson, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade union Confederation, said

Today Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the leaders of Spanish trade unions demand investment in growth and jobs in a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy in Madrid.

Speech given by Bernadette Ségol, ETUC General Secretary CMKOS Congress   Check against delivery     Friends, Thank you for inviting me to speak to CMKOS congress, on behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation. It is 10 years since the Czech Republic joined the European Union. The Czech people wanted the democracy, fundamental rights and freedom of movement that the EU guarantees.

DISK members arrested while holding a meeting about May 1 On April 21 the Turkish police burst into a peaceful gathering of trade union representatives who were organizing their activities for May 1 in a hotel near Taksim Square, Istanbul. The police intervened with tear gas & shields, injuring people and 12 DISK members were detained, some of them members of the board. ETUC firmly demands the release of the detained Trade Union members.

Commenting on the outcome of the vote today on the Enforcement of the Posted Workers Directive – in which MEPs rejected all amendments designed to strengthen enforcement - Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said  “At best, the European Parliament has failed to strengthen the enforcement of what are weak and  minimum rights for those working temporarily in other member states.” “At worst it undermines the ability of those member states who do try to enforce this Directive to do  so in future.”