Brussels, 04/03/2009 At the first meeting of the governing body of the United States (US) national trade union confederation since the election of President Obama, John Monks called for Europe to act in a united way and at least match US actions to revive the global economy, starting at the G20 meeting to be held in London at the beginning of April. He pointed to the resurgent role of trade unions whose ideas, starting with the dangers of financialisation, had led the way.

Miami, 04/03/2009 President, Secretary-Treasurer, Sisters and Brothers, this is the third time that I have had the very great privilege of addressing this Executive Council. The first two times were when I was General Secretary of the British TUC, an organisation with which the AFL-CIO is very familiar, as we share the oldest international trade union relationship in the world, stretching back to 1894. I guess that the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is not so clear in all your minds.

Miami, 04/03/2009

Brussels, 04/03/2009 Reiner Hoffmann, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) says: ‘It is frightening to see how the president of the European Central Bank has forgotten the lessons of the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Not wages but interest rates should be cut’.

Brussels, 02/03/2009 To deal with a possible wave of financial market contagion spreading the crisis from one country to the next, ETUC calls for a major increase of the Commission’s balance of payment facility from its present level of 25 billion euro. The ETUC also calls on the European Commission not to allow the International Monetary Fund to abuse currency crises by imposing lending conditionalities undermining the European Social Model.

Brussels, 27/02/2009

Brussels, 25/02/2009

Brussels, 25/02/2009 President, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is grateful for this chance to address the College on what is evidently the worst economic crisis ever experienced in the EU. I can agree with messages that are being stressed by employer colleagues on the importance of maintaining the single market in the EU and to recognise the need to work together on key questions, but from the ETUC perspective, what is being done is also inadequate both in scale and in urgency in key areas.

Brussels, 19/02/2009 Reacting to the European Commission’s 2010 Annual Policy Strategy that was published today, European Trade Union Confederation General Secretary John Monks stated: ‘I am surprised and deeply disappointed that the Commission does not include problems that have arisen in the single European labour market in respect of retrograde European Court of Justice judgements and posted workers as part of its policy agenda. I shall be raising these issues at the meeting with the College of Commissioners next week’.

Brussels, 18/02/2009 ETUC therefore urges European policymakers to prioritise policies which provide economic stimulus and create new sustainable jobs. The European Central Bank (ECB) and other central banks need to start buying public debts backing European investment projects in the areas of clean and renewable energies, European infrastructure and networks, modern cars and new transportation systems.

Brussels, 09/02/2009 He declared: 'They have, in effect, looted from the customers and shareholders and some are now doing the same thing to the taxpayers who have thrown them a life support system. They must be resisted and brought to realise their proper responsibilities'. Note For a definition of the macro-economic dialogue, please see ETUC's contribution to the macro-economic dialogue of 7 March 2005.

Brussels, 05/02/2009 For ETUC, interest rates in the euro area should have been brought to near zero months ago and policy makers should now be discussing how to organise the printing of money in order to finance the economy. Says John Monks, General Secretary of ETUC: ‘The economic situation is alarming and protectionist and nationalist pressures are rising. By postponing action to support the economy, the ECB is playing with fire’.

Brussels, 04/02/2009 ETUC welcomes the general principle of back payment of wages to migrant workers and the introduction of administrative and criminal sanctions against employers. These measures could play a dissuasive role on rogue businesses. But the directive will be difficult to enforce in practice because the agreed text fails to properly extend the liability to pay such sanctions to the whole subcontracting chain.