Brussels, 16/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - During a meeting with John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, on Tuesday 16 June, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said European construction was well “on track” but that “there was room for more action on the social front”. Their exchange of views was mainly geared to questions relating to financial services and employment.
Speaking to the press after this meeting, John Monks expressed great disappointment at the outcome of preparatory discussions on the “solemn declaration on workers' rights and social policy”, that will be before the European Council later this week. Underlining the main objective of ETUC, namely that “the fundamental rights of workers and their representatives are not to be subordinated to market freedoms and competition law”, John Monks said the text was a “general text” and that “fundamental workers' rights, which are to be respected in the single market and competition context”, were not included therein. John Monks again called on heads of state and government to act in favour of a social Europe. He asked them to act to promote a more social Europe in favour of workers. John Monks also noted that President Barroso had adopted a firm stance in favour of the social dimension of Europe and that he had undertaken to “stimulate discussion between member states on this”.
As far as the social dimension of the EU is concerned, John Monks pointed out that some progress had been made such as the directive on temporary work and that on European works councils. The general secretary said that, since the beginning of the crisis, the EU's social dimension had attracted more attention from the various stakeholders. He said he felt “certain” the next Commission would “put pressure on employment and social affairs policy, thus putting them in a better position on its working agenda”.
In response to the question of whom he would choose as the future president of the European Commission, John Monks said: “I shall be fighting for a candidate to the presidency who fights for workers' rights”. (G.B./transl.)