Killarney, 06/07/2011 President, General Secretary, Dear friends, brothers and sisters trade unionists, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to address Congress today as the newly elected General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation taking over from John Monks, the first woman in that position. I would like here to thank ICTU for supporting my candidature. So you will have to adjust from John’s Manchester sounding English to a definitely French-English tone.

Brussels, 08/07/2011 The ETUC fully endorses its recommendations for a European "New Deal" to foster innovation, job creation and R&D investment, so as to give an urgently-needed boost to European competitiveness ensuring sustainable, green growth. Recommendations on tax policy and the promotion of euro-bonds reflect ETUC demands for a constructive exit from the crisis rather than the current proposals for aggressive austerity and pressure on working people across Europe.

Brussels, 05/07/2011

Brussels, 05/07/2011 Recognizing the scale of risks for the general public as well as the specific risks for nuclear industry workers, the ETUC demands that this industry be treated with the highest possible caution, transparency and democratic control and asks for several measures to be adopted. These relate inter alia to planned stress tests, audits and safety inspections, to safety standards, to subcontracting and agency work, to research, to the need for full transparency on the real costs, to the liabilities for the companies involved.

Brussels, 04/07/2011

Brussels, 28/06/2011 The ETUC Executive Committee reaffirms the go ahead that it gave last March for the negotiations, based on an ambitious revision of the Directive, encompassing all the sensitive issues. The ETUC insists on the need to respect the objectives of workers’ health and safety and seeks a balanced approach.

Brussels, 28/06/2011

Brussels, 23/06/2011 The ETUC insists that the Parliament and the Council focus on the following issues in the coming two weeks: - Clauses to safeguard wages and collective bargaining must be maintained and strengthened. The regulation on macroeconomic imbalances should contain a clear reference to article 153 (5) of the Treaty.

Brussels, 22/06/2011

Brussels, 23/05/2011

Bilbao, 11/06/2011 Compañeras, compañeros, Os traigo el saludo fraterno y la enhorabuena de la Confederación Europea de Sindicatos y de sus sesenta millones miembros. Deseamos a ELA y a todos vosotros un muy feliz aniversario. Tenéis cien años; Es magnífico! Seguís mostrando la misma juventud que el primer día en vuestra determinación de defender y promover los derechos de los trabajadores y la democracia. Actualmente, Europa ha impuesto a muchos de sus ciudadanos una dieta muy estricta.

Brussels, 17/06/2011

Duisburg, 06/06/2011 President, Peter, delegates, friends, I am delighted to be invited to address your Congress today. I bring you the warm and fraternal greetings of the European Trade Union Confederation. I was elected 3 weeks ago – with your support – I thank you for this support. It is of great value and significance to me. Indeed, you are meeting at a very critical time for Europe. Europe is in the midst of daunting financial, monetary, economic and social crises.