Brussels, 04/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration made on Wednesday 4 July, the Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), John Monks, is calling on social affairs and employment ministers meeting informally on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 July in Guimarães (see other article) not to “let flexicurity become a risk to Europe”.
The concept of flexicurity risks becoming an issue that could lead many workers to conclude that it is all about employment flexibility, in the sense that it allows employers to hire and fire more easily and tougher conditions on eligibility for unemployment benefit, rather than job security, notes John Monks. There is already a widespread trade union feeling that “liberal” Europe is receiving too much encouragement, with the current emphasis on deregulation, on encouraging entrepreneurship and opposition to labour standards at an EU level, “the way that flexicurity was being promoted by some is confirming that feeling. Europe needs a new, strong social dimension to promote more and better jobs and also long-term employment relations and business perspectives. The flexicurity debates should focus on that and on protecting the most vulnerable, precarious workers like agency workers”. (gb)