Brussels, 10/07/2008
Europe is in a deepening social and economic crisis: soaring inflation fuelled by rising oil and food prices is hitting the pockets of those on low incomes hardest. Financial speculation is another significant contributor to this parlous situation. All this has a direct impact on workers, growing swathes of whom are concerned about the rising insecurity created by a combination of falling purchasing power and pay. This situation should be at the forefront of European policy-makers’ concerns.
The recent decision on the Working Time Directive, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings in the Laval, Viking, Rüffert and Luxembourg cases, and the rise in the European Central Bank’s main interest rate do nothing to allay workers’ concerns. The ETUC has already rung the alarm bells by calling on the European executive for a policy shift if it is to avoid another rap on the knuckles like that of the recent Irish referendum. The lack of a social dimension will not help to put the EU’s own house in order nor address the challenges of globalization. The social dimension must be a clear priority for the French Presidency of the EU.
The ETUC has repeatedly puzzled over exactly what is happening to the social dimension: it has gone from a clearly defined and resourced European social programme to a disjointed Social Agenda with no guiding principle, reflecting a lack of any clear policy agenda on the matter. We have gone from a social approach to a societal approach. The EU must get away from the idea that the social dimension is a luxury we must do without and that deregulation is the remedy for our socio-economic ills.
Europe more than ever must give a clear signal to its citizens and its workers that social policies are inherent contributors to productivity. There is no lack of challenges: the European job market must be a priority: social Europe cannot be slipped in on the quiet through ECJ rulings. A real debate is needed for social needs and rights to be taken into account at European level. The employment market will also come under increasing pressure from demographic trends, and so they must be taken properly into account. Europe needs to deliver clear responses to population ageing, such as by implementing a pact between the generations and tackling employment discrimination against women. Bigger, sustained efforts are also needed for sustainable development.
“You cannot dispense with the social dimension”, is the ETUC’s key message to the informal social ministers meeting. The ETUC also is repeating its proposal for a social protocol to be written into the treaties. Europe urgently needs to set clear, resourced social objectives that can address both the internal challenges and those of globalization. That Europe must ensure a robust environmental strategy, full employment, high levels of training and innovation, gender equality, efficient public services, and an effective mechanism of income redistribution.
- Trade Union Memorandum to the French Presidency