(10 March) EPSU General Secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan notes the fact that employers, at the Tripartite Summit which took place in Brussels on the 8th of March, indicated the need to abandon the austerity measures which have been both damaging and unpopular throughout the European Union.
Goudriaan notes that, ‘EPSU and the trade union movement have rejected the flawed and failed austerity measures which have blighted Europe and undermined the EU’s social model. Are EU institutions finally and slowly coming round to our way of thinking in terms of valuing and building a more social Europe’?
However, ‘if an enhanced social Europe is to become a reality, we need credible action. There will have to be substantial new investments in public services like care. Public service workers need decent pay and conditions after years of cutting budgets leading to increased workloads, staff shortages and more stress at work. We need to strengthen collective bargaining and social dialogue, in order to see the job creation, economic growth and social inclusion which the social partners committed to at the Tripartite Summit. We expect concrete actions from our employers, and including those in the public services.
The summit participants agreed that gender pay divergence in particular and economic divergence in general would be addressed partially through the European social pillar. Again we need action. Employers should be up front supporting measures to address work-life balance like paid parental leave in collective agreements and in legislation.
Speaking following the Tripartite social Summit, ETUC’s General Secretary, Luca Visentini said ‘Trade unions urge the European Union to redouble their efforts to increase investment and to create quality jobs, and to encourage collective bargaining to enable pay rises that will drive growth. Workers need to feel the recovery. Trade unions and employers agree on the need for a serious industrial policy for Europe’.
It has been announced that a European Union social summit will take place in Rome on the 24th of March, attended by Council members from all Member States. The social summit takes place a day before the formal celebrations marking the 60th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Policy details regarding restoring a more social Europe are expected to emerge from the social summit. These should include ending the interference in collective bargaining and labour law by the European Eurogroup and IMF to be credible.
The summit was used to sign the Active Aging Agreement. It commits the social partners to ensure that working environments and the organisation of work, throughout the EU, allows workers of all ages to remain in work until the legal retirement age. European social partners' autonomous framework agreement on active ageing and an inter-generational approach, 8 March 2017.
- Log in to post comments
