30,000 people take to the streets in Brussels in support of social governance based on solidarity
30,000 trade unionists took to the streets of Brussels on 24 March on the fringes of the Tripartite Social Summit against European austerity governance. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is pleased with this day, which sent out a clear message to Europe’s leaders. Protest movements were also staged in parallel in France, Germany, Spain and Latvia, and on 26 March in London.
John Monks, ETUC General Secretary, wrote a letter of congratulations to its Belgian members on the success of this day of action, while condemning the minor incidents that occurred. He stated: ‘The unions have come out on to the streets in many places across Europe, protesting not against Europe but against the latest European decisions on European economic governance which are ratcheting up the austerity measures at the expense of workers. We would also reiterate that the employment market cannot be a byword for insecurity, ever greater flexibility and a deterioration in working contracts and conditions. We will continue to oppose this approach, which is very much in fashion at the moment, because we are defending European economic governance that is resolutely social and based on solidarity. This will be the message that we will be taking to the demonstration in London on 26 March and the upcoming Euro-demonstration in Budapest on 9 April’.
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