16/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - European trade unions, further mobilisation against austerity. The European summit of 24-25 March is expected to endorse proposals to squeeze wages, with limits on pay increases. Implicit in this is that wages will no longer be able to reflect increases in prices. Such a policy will systematically redistribute income from wages to profits, dividends and bonuses. If this approach is confirmed, the whole concept of social Europe will be placed in increasing jeopardy. In the face of this danger, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has announced several planned union mobilisations in Europe, beginning with the demonstration in Bucharest on Wednesday 16 March, at which 50,000 workers are expected on the streets following the call of the trade union confederations of Romania. On Thursday 24 March, a rally of trade unionists from Belgium and neighbouring countries will take place in Brussels (rue de la Loi, close to Justus Lipsius, where the summit is to be held). On Saturday 26 March, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is organising a “March for the Alternative - Jobs, Growth and Justice” with delegations from France and Belgium. Then on Saturday 9 April, ETUC and its six Hungarian affiliates are organising a Euro-demonstration in Budapest on the sidelines of the Ecofin Council. For information, go to: http://www.etuc.org . (G.B./transl.rt)