Brussels, 20/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomed the announcement by Finland, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands that they planned to open their labour markets up to nationals of the new Member States as of 1 May 2006 (see EUROPE 9149). ETUC stresses, however, that this opening must go hand in hand with strengthened social rights. “We are in favour of a more open approach but it must be based on the principles of equal treatment and upward harmonisation of working conditions and social protection”, ETUC General Secretary John Monks commented in a press release.
Furthermore, during its meeting in Brussels on 15 March, the ETUC executive committee adopted a stance on implementation of the directive on posted workers, in which it calls for “a higher commitment from Member States to its monitoring and enforcement”. ETUC calls on the European Commission to take “additional steps at EU level to support Member States ands social partners in their efforts”.