Brussels, 19/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - Faced with a tough economic and social situation, with company restructuring and job losses, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is submitting a resolution adopted by its Executive Committee to the Heads of State and Government, due to meet in Brussels on 21 March, in which it is asking them to relaunch the Lisbon Strategy.
In its resolution, ETUC insists on reinforcement of the European Employment Strategy (EES), according to the Lisbon commitment to reach full employment by 2010. Further emphasis must be placed on positive measures of human investment, mainstreaming equal rights and opportunities for men and women in all fields, education and life-long training, individualised assistance for the unemployed, the needs of younger and older workers, child and elderly care facilities, improving health and safety in the workplace and lifting mobility obstacles, especially with regard to housing and pensions. On pensions, ETUC (which recognises that voluntary progressive retirement schemes have their place) feels that the Summit must acknowledge that extra resources must be found, and that the issue is a social one with financial implications, not the reverse. Lastly, the Summit should ensure that the EES can meet the challenges of enlargement: there must be a single strategy, governed by the same principles, for the entire Union, although ETUC could accept some flexibility in deadlines for meeting common targets. ETUC also stresses that the EES should stand alongside the BEPG (broad economic policy guidelines), and not be subordinate to them. ETUC is also opposed to any attempt to use the current crisis to dismantle the European Social Model: structural changes and modernisation must be based on social dialogue and negotiated agreement, not on employer diktat. It concludes by saying that the European institutions, together with the social partners, must reinforce industrial policies, to master the process of structural change and to reconcile competitiveness with the social objectives.
The resolution also highlights the fact that, in order to come back to 3% growth, Europe should introduce its own "counter-cyclical" recovery programme. With inflation under control, a first stage would be to ensure consistency between monetary policy, growth and employment. A co-ordinated budgetary stimulus equal to at least 1% of GDP would then be required.