Newsletter September 2005

General Secretary views - Autumn 2005 and the challenges ahead

Welcome back to all affiliates after your summer break. I hope that you all took the time to recharge your batteries because the EU ‘new season’ looks like being one of the most significant for a long time.

The two items that are most pertinent are of course the Services directive and the Working Time Directive. On the Services Directive there are two main challenges - persuading the European Parliament that the current text is unacceptable, but also alerting our own members of the fact that the Services Directive remains very much a threat. On the first point we are, in co-ordination with the ETUC, planning towards the scheduled plenary vote in Strasbourg on 24 October. Although this deadline is looking more and more unrealistic - due to the Internal Market Committee rapporteur, Ms. Gebhardt, having to reschedule the vote. On the second point, ensuring that the national profile of the directive remains high, we must make mobilisation a priority. >>Read more

Working Time Directive risks becoming “lost dossier”

(September 2005) The summer period saw some of the fears of EPSU confirmed on the WTD dossier. Rather than openly discuss and resolve the challenges placd before EU decision-makers by the Court of Justice (most notably the Jaeger judgement), the Council of Ministers retreated to a classic “Euro-fudge”. The Employment Council of Ministers, held under the Luxembourg Presidency on 2 June, failed to reach an agreement based on the European Parliament compromise put forward in the (...)

Services directive - progress over the summer

(September 2005) At its last meeting the EPSU Executive Committee considered the reports from the two main rapporteurs, Anne Van Lancker EMPL and Evelyne Gebhardt IMCO, and assessed the need for amendments in light of EPSU’s two main objectives (exclusion of SGI/SGEI and exclusion of labour law/collective bargaining). It was agreed that, while EPSU remains opposed to the directive, we need to support the work of both rapporteurs in improving the Commission’s text, especially as regards (...)

EPSU affiliate ROTAL to stage protest against Estonian Government

On 15 September the Estonian trade union for Workers in State and Self-government Institutions (ROTAL) is organising a picket before the Estonian Government Buildings at 9.30- 10.30, followed by a march to the Estonian Parliament. ROTAL is protesting that the Government has reneged on deals to compensate border guards during the period 1990-1994. Also ROTAL states that the Government is making unrealistic demands on border guards, particularly at the under staffed Russian border. The issue (...)

Latvian unions fight poverty with national action 1 October

The Latvian trade unions are organising nation wide protests culminating in a national demonstration in Riga, Latvia, 1 October 2005. The unions are protesting that poverty levels remain high. It urges the government to increase salaries, pension entitlements and health care coverage to reflect cost of living increases. EPSU supports the action in which all affiliated unions participate and urges the government of Latvia to make sure that all in society benefit from increases in (...)

EPSU/CEMR project on social dialogue in the new member states and candidate countries

(September 2005) The background study for the project on the state of social dialogue in new EU Member States and candidate countries is now being finalised and will be discussed by the project steering group on 1 September. The study contains information on social dialogue in local and regional government in all 13 countries, with a special focus on 5 of these (Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia). A joint Conference on 14 October, in Budapest, will discuss the findings. The (...)

National Administration - Social dialogue state of play

(16 September 2005) A number of obstacles continue blocking the formalization of a sectoral social dialogue (not the least the absence of an employers’ organisation) but some positive developments have taken place that will help improve the quality of the current informal dialogue, both in terms of process and content, as follows:
Official recognition of the EPSU-led single trade union delegation by the Ministers and Directors General (DsG) for Public Administration in their resolutions (...)