Social investment, real social dialogue and public services out of TTIP addressed at Tripartite Social Summit

(20 March 2015) With more than 24 million unemployed, with high youth unemployment , with growing poverty and wealth inequality in Europe, we are not out of the economic crisis, was the message of the ETUC delegation to the Tripartite Social Summit. Therefore more public investment is needed and including in social infrastructure and public services. This will stimulate growth. We want environmentally sustainable growth and decent jobs. The Juncker plan while a step in the right direction leaves much to be desired.

Another issue on the European Council agenda is the Energy Union. ETUC asked the Council to support an ambitious position for the climate change negotiations towards the end of the year. This position should recognise the social dimension and support just transition and decent jobs. This is lacking from the proposals for the Energy Union presented by the Commission.

We do not see the importance of the European social dialogue and the results of the Tripartite Social Summit reflected in the (draft) conclusions of the European Council. This puts in question the commitment to the social dialogue just shortly after the High Level Conference on the Relaunch of the European Social Dialogue 5 March.
ETUC General Secretary Bernadette Segol also stressed the position of the ETUC regarding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (or TTIP) between the EU and US. Our demands: No ISDS in the agreement. Public services out. Workers'rights need to be recognised in the agreement. The way regulatory cooperation is foreseen undermines democracy.

Also CEEP, the European employers' organisation for the public services supported the demand for public investment in physical and social infrastructures and public services, arguing the economic as well as the social case for such investment, the benefits for society and the longterm effects on growth and jobs. The employers' organisation for Europe's corporate interests BusinessEurope argued for corporate welfare instead, demanding that taxpayers money is used to guarantee private investment against losses, but not wanting to share the benefits with Europe's workers and people. And Europe's corporations continued with their demand for structural reform with which they mean labour market flexibility, weaker employment protection, fragmented bargaining and increasing the pension age.

The social affairs ministers of Latvia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (the Presidency Troika) all stressed the importance of social dialogue, the need for investments that strengthen Europe's infrastructure and fair mobility. "Equal pay for the same work on the same workplace" and no tolerance for those companies which abuse free movement by exploiting workers using legal and illegal tricks to avoid paying the right wage as one of the ministers indicated. Commissioner Thyssen, responsible for Employment, committed to ensure that the social partners are consulted at national and European level in the European semester, at national level on the National Reform Plans.

The Tripartite Social Summit brings together representatives of ETUC, European employers' organisations BusinessEurope, CEEP and UEAPME with the Ministers of Social affairs of the troika countries (Luxembourg, Latvia and Netherlands), the President of the European Commission and Commissioners involved in the European social dialogue like Commissioners Dombrovskis and Mrs Thyssen, the President of the European Council (mr. Tusk) and the prime minister of the Presidency (currently Latvia).
The summit takes places before the European Council in Spring and Autumn. The Spring Council considers the economic situation in Europe. The meeting took place 19 March 2015, Brussels. EPSU was represented by the General Secretary. It was the last summit of ETUC General Secretary Bernadette Segol. She was praised for her unrelenting defense of Europe's workers, her commitment to bringing people closer together in Europe.

Extracts from the roundtable of the Tripartite Social Summit on 19 March 2015, in Brussels: