Brussels, 08/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of the informal European summit in Brussels on 11 February, a delegation of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian trade union organisations will meet the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, to set out workers' expectations and demands. They will ask for guarantees on employment and social protection. ETUC General Secretary John Monks said he hoped that “heads of governments and European authorities will give guarantees to workers and that these guarantees will be confirmed at the European summit of 11 February and at the spring summit”.
In the letter sent to their respective heads of state and government, the unions' message is clear: “You have saved the banks, now save the jobs”. Thus, the ETUC demands that heads of government and the European authorities: (1) maintain high levels of spending to promote growth and as part of an expanded EU recovery plan, inject an extra 1% of gross domestic product for the creation of jobs for the unemployed; (2) give a guarantee to all young people in 2010 of jobs and learning opportunities so that we do not have a wasted generation; (3) keep up purchasing power and invest in welfare states and public services which have been crucial stabilisers in preventing the recession becoming a depression; public spending must not be seen only as a cost; (4) tackle inequality and growing short-term, casual work ensuring that posted and migrant workers are treated the same as other workers; and (5) regulate effectively financial markets to prevent such a disaster happening again. (G.B./transl.rt)