04/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration following the speech and programme of Tony Blair to the European Parliament on 23 June (EUROPE 8976), the Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Helmut Müllers called on the British prime minister to “take on the role of leader and mediator between Member States in order to make progress in social policy”. Müllers said that this would also involve “renouncing British opposition to essential trade union themes” such as the opt-out over working hours (“an issue one which the British government should finally jump over and find a compromise with other Member States”) as well as on the services directive (“where the fear of social dumping should be taken seriously”).