Vienna, 23/01/2007
To be checked against deliver
President, friends, I bring the greetings of the ETUC to you and the trade unionists of Austria.
You have come through a difficult period and I want to congratulate Rudolf and his colleagues for the way they have steered the organisation through the hard times.
It cannot have been easy and in addition the ÖGB was able successfully to host the founding Congress of the new world body - the International TUC which met in Vienna last December.
That was a real achievement of which all concerned should be proud. It launched a new unified world trade union body which will now aim to tame globalisation and make it work for the workers of the world, not just for the owners and managers of capital, the main beneficiaries of globalisation so far.
The ETUC will hold its Congress shortly in Seville and we will be launching campaigns to build up trade union membership in Europe, to combat the rising and irresponsible power of speculative capitalism - what Vice Chancellor Müntefering famously called “locust capitalism”, and to put Social Europe back in the centre of the European project.
For too long now, Social Europe has been put to one side as the EU has struggled to increase its economic performance. That marginalisation of Social Europe has not worked. As the Austrian and Nordic experience shows, a strong welfare state, collective bargaining and social partnership give workers confidence in change. They ease the sense of insecurity. They give workers a say, influence and a degree of control.
That way lies Europe's economic growth, low unemployment and a sustainable future. That way is the trade union way. That way is the way to workers' success.
President, unions are on that right way in Austria, and we are strengthening our capacities in Europe and the wider world. We are back on the offensive after our victory over the Bolkestein Directive and back on the offensive for social Europe, solidarity and a sustainable future.
We are back on the offensive to defend and to promote public services - and here you can help today. Sign the petition .
Don't wait, do it now or sign on line - we need one million signatures by May to put pressure on for a directive to protect public services from low cost capitalism.
So take the offensive with the ETUC do it today.
Good luck to the ÖGB for the future. Thank you for all your support for the ETUC.