Today, the Spring Alliance - bringing together European trade unions and environmental, social and development organisations[1] launched its new manifesto “A better Europe now” which aims to present a positive vision of Europe “that puts people and planet first”.
The European Commission’s draft Directive on a ‘single member limited liability company’ is a charter for avoiding tax and national labour rules warns the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
While the European Commission presents the Directive as a means of helping small business to trade across the single market, the ETUC points out that there is nothing to stop large companies setting up single member subsidiaries to avoid tax and labour regulations.
The ETUC says the Directive has two major faults in that it
Commenting on today’s Euro demonstration for a new path for Europe, Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said
“50,000 people from 21 countries across Europe made a huge effort to come to Brussels to demonstrate peacefully against austerity, against unemployment and for new policies to create jobs and growth.
Tomorrow, the European Trade Union Confederation is holding a Euro-demonstration in Brussels demanding the end of austerity and proposing a new path for Europe, for investment, quality jobs and equality.
At least 40,000 workers from 21 European countries will to take the streets of Brussels to express their dissatisfaction with the economic situation and the economic policies being pursued.
On April 4 some 40,000 trade unionists from all over Europe will march through the centre of Brussels to the EU quarter.
For some Belgians this might seem yet another inconvenience caused by Brussels being home to the EU institutions – like the traffic chaos caused by the arrival of Prime Ministers for European Summits, or the security surrounding the recent visit of President Obama.
Commenting on the proposal for a recast Directive on occupational pension funds (IORP), Claudia Menne, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), said “The ETUC is sceptical of the need for change. Pensions need stable rules that work long-term. The vast majority of occupational pensions are purely national. There needs to be a much more detailed assessment of the long-term impact of the proposed cross-border rules. ”
Tomorrow a delegation [1]of young European trade unionists will meet the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso to ask for a change in current austerity policies.
In 11 EU member states youth unemployment is over than 25% and it is 50% or higher in Greece (57%), Spain (56%) and Croatia (52%).
Young people are struggling to find jobs, to further their education and have to migrate.
Austerity is not working, and a new path for Europe is urgently needed, European trade union leaders warned at an unprecedented union summit in Brussels today.
“Real wages have fallen over the last five years in most EU countries” said Bernadette Ségol, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
Berkin Elvan died on March 11 after 269 days in coma as a result of being hit by a tear-gas canister when he was on his way to buy some bread during anti-Government protests in June 2013.
The ETUC supports the mourning demonstrations which took place all over the country and condemns the repression and dispersion of many of these rallies.
