ETUC Steering Committee confirms high political importance of ECJ judgements on Laval - Viking cases, to be expected on 11 December 2007
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg will issue its judgements on the Laval-and Viking cases on 11 December 2007. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Steering Committee convening on 15 November confirmed the importance of these cases for the trade union movement as well as for the future of a Europe that is not only a single market but also a community of shared social values. In the run up to the adoption of the Reform Treaty, the clear and unambiguous recognition of the rights of unions to maintain and defend workers’ rights by negotiating collective agreements and taking industrial action in case of conflict to counterbalance the economic power of employers is a key element.
The ETUC Steering Committee discussed an assessment, made by Professor Brian Bercusson of Kings College UK for ETUC, of the various ways in which the Court may decide. [1]
On this occasion, the ETUC and its affiliates reiterated their conviction that the industrial actions taken in both cases are in full conformity with the principles and requirements of EC law, and necessary to defend the principles of non-discrimination and the principle of equal pay for work of equal value regardless of nationality.
The rights to collective bargaining and industrial action cannot be curtailed by the rules relating to the free movement of services nor by those relating to the right of establishment in the EU.
[1] Full assessment available on ETUC website: http://www.etuc.org/a/4295
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