ETUC criticises ‘misleading’ statement of the Czech Presidency
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has met with the Czech EU Presidency today to deliver the trade union memorandum, as well as a number of proposals for action for this presidency. The press release issued by the Office of the Czech Prime Minister following the meeting came as a bit of a surprise to ETUC as it did not entirely reflect its key messages.
Commenting on this press statement, John Monks, ETUC General Secretary, said: ‘I find the selective extracts of my contribution to the meeting this morning to be misleading. My key point on the economic crisis was that in addition to the need for a major boost in spending to stimulate economic activity, a coordinated European approach was necessary to avoid protectionist, or “beggar-thy-neighbour” actions by individual states. And on free movement of labour, which is supported by ETUC, this is being threatened by recent decisions of the European Court of Justice which undermine collective bargaining.’
He added: ‘I have written to the Czech Prime Minister to emphasise these points and to correct the record.’
Further information
The Trade union memorandum to the Czech Presidency of the European Union can be accessed and downloaded at the following address: www.etuc.org/a/5767. It is also available in Czech (135Kb).
Was this article interesting and relevant for you? Do you have any comments?
You can post a reply to this article here.