Brussels, 13/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - A guaranteed return to full employment; coordination at the Lisbon Summit of the processes of Luxembourg (employment), Cardiff (structural reforms) and Cologne (macro-economic policies); completion of the IGC agenda by integrating fundamental rights: this, in essence, is the appeal made to the Portuguese Presidency by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in its Memorandum presented by Emilio Gabaglio, General Secretary, to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres during the diner on Wednesday evening. It allowed stock to be taken of the major themes that will be tackled during the extraordinary summit on employment to be held in March this year (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7). The main elements of the ETUC Memorandum are:
1. A post-EMU strategy for full employment. Objective criteria are currently met, states ETUC, for investing in full employment as the economic situation is sound, the euro has been introduced, and growth is good (the rate expected this year and next is around 3%). By the end of 2001, ETUC considers it will be possible to reduce unemployment to 8%, and recalls that, during its Congress, it had noted that the rate of 7% could even be reached at this same date and that the rate of activity should reach 70%. After Cologne, the overall ETUC thesis is that it has become obvious that any decision taken on economic matters will generate jobs. In the same way, the information society creates long-term jobs and social cohesion is indispensable for remedying social exclusion. ETUC therefore calls for measures to be taken that aim to reduce the gap between rich and poor but also the gap between regions. This should be the aim of the macro-economic strategy.
2. Intergovernmental Conference (IGC). ETUC urges the Portuguese Presidency to enlarge the agenda of the IGC on institutional reform by integrating fundamental rights (political, civil, social and trade union), in order to bring the EU closer to its citizens.
3. Workers' rights and industrial change. ETUC calls on the Portuguese Presidency to start work at Council on the proposal for establishing a general framework for informing and consulting employees in the European Community, and insists on how important it is to make progress in establishing an Industrial Change Observatory.
4. Implementation of Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty. Giving its full support to the Commission Communication on combating all forms of discrimination, ETUC appeals to the Portuguese Presidency to make progress in this connection.
5. Social legislation. ETUC calls on the Presidency to: a) move forward on the issue of coordination of social security systems; b) take a decision on the proposal aimed at extending the directive on working hours to the sectors not yet included; c) ensure that there is revision of the directives on health and safety of pregnant workers, workers who have recently given birth or workers who are breastfeeding (Dir. 92/85), on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion and working conditions (Dir. 76/207); and d) ensure follow-up to the European Commission's social action programme 1998-2000.
6. Enlargement of the European Union. In trade union terms, enlargement has already taken on concrete substance as 90% of trade unions in Eastern European countries are already members of ETUC. In this context, ETUC calls on the Council Presidency to give special consideration to the development of social dialogue in the Central and Eastern European countries.
7. External relations. ETUC gives its full support to the EU commitment concerning the Stability Pact for the Balkans. In order for restructuring in this region to be a success, democratisation is vital, mainly in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The promotion of independent trade unions, of independent media and of NGOs is a fundamental element in this process, stresses ETUC.