To be checked against delivery

On behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation, I bring our greetings to your Congress.

Finnish trade unions play a well respected and important role in the European trade union movement - forward thinking, creative, in favour of open markets and free trade, enthusiastic for change but to help workers adjust and improve, not change at the expense of workers.

You bring a distinctive confidence to our debates. You are not pessimists about change. You are not usually defensive. You want to spread good practices of Finnish social dialogue and partnership across the EU.

I am grateful for this positive perspective and for your quiet self confidence.

We have to face up to challenges in Europe - I am not going to revisit the speech I gave yesterday but it is clear that we have to deal with
 firstly relocation and restructuring and secure the best possible practices by employers. This cannot put be left to shareholders to call all the shots.

 secondly demographic changes - these are welcome ones. We are living on average 10 years longer than our parents - and this poses opportunities as well as problems. Opportunities are there to have active, fuller lives in old age, to learn new things, and to contribute to society. But threats of working longer in unsatisfactory conditions are also all around. And we know too that many employers do not want older workers if younger ones are available.

 My third issue is handling the new European single labour market. This is already evident in some sectors like agriculture, constructions, transport and catering.

We welcome migrants but they must get equal treatment and not be regarded as second class, cheap, vulnerable to exploitation workers.

The kind of case we have seen at Viking Ferries must not develop into a general trend. Otherwise, workers will quickly lose faith in the single market and the free movement of labour.

 And my fourth point is that we need economic policies that help growth and fight unemployment. We can never accept that globalisation means worse conditions, changes - yes, more research and innovation - yes, more lifelong learning - yes, but no attack on the fundamental gains and achievements of the trade union movement in the period since the Second World War.

Finally, the world trade union movement needs to be changed. There is an welcome merger taking place between the ICFTU and the World Confederation of Labour. The ETUC is volunteering to be part of this new structure by running a new pan European region which will embrace your Eastern neighbours and seek to ensure that Europe’s unions do not turn their back on the East. The Finnish unions, with their long experience of Russia will be a great help in running this new body.

So there are challenging and exciting times and I wish the members and officials of the STTK all the best with our joint adventure.