Brussels, 28/09/2006

Brussels, 28/09/2006 Countries that require advance notice for dismissal, establish a working week of less than 66 hours or set minimum wages above a certain very low level are considered investment-unfriendly, according to the World Bank's logic. By the same absurd reasoning, a tiny country like the Marshall Islands is declared ‘best performer' because of having no labour code at all.

Szczecin, 28/09/2006 To be checked against delivery President, friends, it is a great honour for me to come to the city of Szczecin, one of the birthplaces of the Solidarnosc and therefore of free, independent trade unionism. 26 years after the momentous events of 1980, I pay tribute today to the courageous, pioneer trade unionists of Szczecin to whom democracy owes so much. I am not of course forgetting what happened in Gdansk and other centres but no-one should forget either the contribution made by workers of this city.

Brussels, 26 September 2006

Brussels, 25/09/2006 ? Workers will have equal representation on the supervisory board of the SE (European company) In future, in line with staff numbers, a group of European workforce representatives will defend the interests of workers from a total of 29 countries on the company's highest body, its supervisory board. UNI-Europe Finance Vice-President Jörg Reinbrecht will be one of the workforce representatives.

Brussels, 22/09/2006 On 13 September, the Zimbabwean Police arrested and assaulted hundreds of trades unionists, following peaceful protests by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trades Unions (ZCTU) over the state of the economy and food shortages.

Brussels, 20/09/2006 Services of general interest are acknowledged as one of the pillars of the European social model: that being the case, they have to be safeguarded. This is why the ETUC is convinced that a framework directive on SGEIs is necessary. Accordingly, and in order to counter the Commission's refusal to prepare such a directive, the ETUC is proposing the key elements which such a directive should include.

Brussels, 19/06/2006 Under REACH, authorisations can be granted to use substances of very high concern like carcinogens. But the European Carcinogens Directive says employers must replace these substances by safer alternatives. Are we heading for a clash between these two sets of laws? This kind of issue on how REACH links up with Community health and safety at work legislation loomed large in the discussions between the 160-plus attendees, who included representatives from the European Parliament, Council, Commission, industry and NGOs.

Helsinki,8/09/2006 To be checked against delivery At a recent meeting with Eero Heinäluoma, I was asked by the Finnish Presidency to address today the questions of boosting Europe's investment in R&D and innovation. Finland has a good record, but outside a small number of countries and / or sectors, pre-eminently, pharmaceuticals, investment levels are worryingly low.

Helsinki, 08 September 2006 To be checked against delivery I should like first to thank our Finnish affiliates (SAK, AKAVA, STTK) for organising this important meeting, and for the opportunity to meet high Government representatives, as one has come to expect in this country, a home to social dialogue. The Asia-Europe Meetings process is now 10 years old. So this is a good opportunity to take stock, and to look to the future.

Brussels, 08/09/2006 Said John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC): “The Asia Europe Meetings process is now 10 years old, so it's a good moment to take stock and look to the future. At the ETUC, we have pressed for trade union involvement in this framework of relationships between Asia and Europe. The ETUC supports the EU in its efforts to promote sustainable economic and social development through ASEM.”

Brussels, 06/09/2006

Berlin, 30/08/2006 To be checked against delivery Chancellor, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends and colleagues, Mitbestimmung: a word that, translated into other languages, is producing misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The most evident example is the long-lasting tradition of the French to translate Mitbestimmung into “co-gestion”. If you transfer that term into English, Mitbestimmung becomes co-management.