London, 05/10/2009

Brussels, 02/12/2008 A top priority for debate is the trade union reaction to the Commission’s proposals for an economic recovery plan, which is set to be adopted, if in modified form, by EU heads of state and government at next week’s European summit. Trade union leaders will also discuss the follow-up of the salary campaign, with a focus on defining collective bargaining guidelines for 2009 in light of a prolonged European depression.

Bilbao, 25/11/2008 Speech by John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) President, friends, it is with great pleasure that I come to address the ELA Congress in Bilbao, a city and region in the Basque country with traditional, commercial, sporting and cultural connections with my own country.

Bilbao, 25/11/2008

Brussels, 17/10/2008 Human trafficking, as one of the worst forms of exploitation of migrant workers, has in previous years been identified as a priority issue on European and international trade union agendas. As a result, the Greek General Confederation of Labour GSEE is hosting a conference in Athens on 21–23 November 2008, organised in cooperation with ITUC, PERC and ETUC, to develop a specifically targeted trade union strategy to better defend the rights of these ‘invisible’ workers. 

Brussels, 17/10/2008 “Civil Society Dialogue: bringing together workers from Turkey and the EU through a shared culture” is the name of the ambitious European project meant to ensure better knowledge and understanding of one another among Turkish and European workers.

Brussels, 14/10/08 A day ahead of the European Tripartite Social Summit – at which ETUC participates – and the European Council, representatives of ETUC-affiliated trade unions will discuss the current state of the financial system and the economy. This meeting will provide trade unions the opportunity to send out clear messages to European policymakers regarding the topics on the agenda at the European Council, namely the financial crisis and the energy and climate change package.

Brussels, 25 September 2008 Professor Brian Bercusson passed away at the age of 60 years suddenly but peacefully on 17 August 2008 at his home in Tuscany. He was born in 1947 in Montreal, Canada, and came to the United Kingdom to study law at the London School of Economics in 1967. Professor Bercusson obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge and was appointed as a Research Fellow at Christ’s College in 1974.

Brussels, 25 September 2008 Georges Debunne has without a doubt left a lasting impact on several generations of trade unionists.

Brussels, 30/06-01/07/2008 {{{CLOSING SESSION: Bali and beyond – strengthening EU-Asia strategic cooperation on global market issues and decent work}}} {{ To be checked against delivery}} I would first like to thank the European Commission, the Indonesian Government, and the two EU Presidencies which have straddled this two-day conference for helping to bring into effect the decisions of the Helsinki Summit concerning the promotion of social dialogue in the ASEM context.

Brussels, 25/06/2008

Brussels, 25/06/2008

Prague, 11/06/2008

Prague, 11/06/2008 To be checked against delivery Hubertus, friends and colleagues. It is always a pleasure to come to the Congress of EMCEF and to this historic city of Prague. Prague is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the famous Prague Spring of 1968, when the flames of freedom and liberty swept through the city and the country, only to be cruelly extinguished shortly afterwards by the forces of repression.

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.

2008

Rome, 08/03/2008 To be checked against delivery Care amiche, cari amici, é per me oggi un gran privilegio poter festeggiare insieme a voi, in questa splendida cornice, il centenario dell'8 (otto) marzo. Giornata internazionale della donna. Mi felicito per l'iniziativa. La vostra presenza, il vostro coinvolgimento, é già un successo.

Brussels, 07/03/2008

Brussels, 05/03/2008 The Executive Committee condemned the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli military in Gaza in recent days that has caused the deaths of over one hundred Palestinians – many of them civilians, women and children among them. It is a collective punishment of the population of Gaza which violates international law.

Brussels, 04/03/2008 A top priority for debate is the trade union reaction to the recent Viking and Laval rulings in the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The meeting will also firm up arrangements for the European demonstration for better pay in Ljubljana on 5 April.

Brussels, 26/02/2008 To be checked against delivery 1. Chairman, thank you for this invitation to present the views of the ETUC on these two cases. We are grateful that you have moved swiftly to deal with them. They are of massive importance to the European trade union world, and not just to our colleagues directly affected in Sweden/Latvia and Finland/Estonia. It is deeply ironic that the Swedish and Danish models – the widely respected home of flexicurity - are under particular pressure from these cases.

Brussels, 20/02/2008 The restrictive measures, first introduced in February 2002, consist of a ban on entry into the EU and a freeze on financial assets for individuals who engage in activities that seriously undermine democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. An embargo on the supply of arms and equipment intended for military operations is also in force.

Brussels, 30/01/2008 The Convention becomes legally binding on the first ten countries to have ratified it (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Georgia, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia), on 1 February, with Bosnia-Herzegovina, France and Norway following on 1 May. Most European countries have taken the first steps to ratify the Convention, with the UK having already announced its intention to complete the ratification by the end of 2008.