Poster gallery

Hungary has had four consecutive plans of fiscal adjustment which started in 2006 and were implemented by three governments and included an IMF-EU rescue package (2008).

Flexicurity or how theory is not applied in practice

Brussels, 01/04/2011

Brussels, 11/03/2011

ETUC Resolution on European Economic Governance

Brussels, 11/03/2011

Brussels, 04/03/2011

The ETUC backs Turk-Sen’s mobilisation for protection of trade union rights

Brussels, 02/03/2011

Newsletter n° 54. February 2011

9th April 2011 Budapest : Euro-demonstration "No to Austerity - For Social Europe, for Fair Pay and for Jobs"

ETUC invites Jean-Claude Trichet to “hit the right target, the bankers not the workers”

Brussels, 21/02/2011

ETUC tells Macro Economic Policy makers that the attack on wage is unfair and intolerable

Brussels, 14/02/2011

Romania

Romania decided to adopt very strict austerity measures which have especially hit the public sector in order to receive a €20bn bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

EU on a “collision course” with Social Europe and the autonomy of collective bargaining

Brussels, 04/02/2011

The French Government announced an austerity plan that would involve €45bn in spending cuts over the next three years (€11bn per year which corresponds to 0.55% of GDP per year). Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the cuts were aimed at bringing France’s public deficit back down to the European Union’s limit of three percent of gross domestic product by 2013.

Iceland

The collapse of the Icelandic banks in October 2008 initiated a period of deep recession of the national economy. From the fiscal perspective it meant that the budget surpluses changed to deficits and on top of that the government took over large amounts of the new debt.

United call for mandatory company reporting

Brussels, 03/02/2011

Europe’s Energy Strategy 2011-2020: A Missed Opportunity?

Brussels, 03/02/2011

Newsletter n° 53. January 2011

Northern Cyprus: massive rejection of Ankara’s “reform package”

Brussels, 31/01/2011

Equal treatment must apply to all

Brussels, 28/01/2011

Tunisia: the ETUC denounces attacks against Tunisian Trade Union Organisation (UGTT)

Brussels, 26/01/2011

Hungarian Presidency of the EU: ETUC meets its Hungarian affiliates

Brussels, 24/01/2011

Brussels, 12/01/2011

Letter sent to EU Commissioner Rehn

EU-IMF rescue packages: Social dialogue and Collective Bargaining are under attack

24 December

Last year, managers of the 40 biggest French companies received an average salary of €3.06m. That’s 190 times the French minimum wage (Smic). 2.3 million French workers earned the minimum wage last year: i.e. €1,343.77 gross per month (€1,056 net).

23 December

Allied Irish Bank intended to pay €40m in bonuses to 2400 bankers, arguing that a 2008 court case was forcing them to do so. The bank then decided not to pay these bonuses, following a threat from the Irish government to withdraw the taxpayers’ money that is keeping the bank afloat. Now bank chiefs have admitted that new legal action could still be taken by some of those 2,400 executives who were supposed to receive the €40m windfall.

ETUC Newsletter - 52th edition

Brussels, 23/12/2010

Newsletter n° 52. December 2010

ETUC - ITUC Letter to President of the Republic of Belarus

Brussels, 22/12/2010

ETUC is sceptical about the viability of the new citizens’initiative

Brussels, 22/12/2010

22 December

The attempt of some big British banks (Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Lloyds and Santander UK) to reach a ceasefire with the UK government looks likely to fail. The aim of the talks, called “Project Merlin”, is on the one hand, to convince the government not to levy new taxes on bonuses and, on the other hand, to show the public that banks are really making an effort to shoulder their part of the burden.

ETUC denounces the European Commission’s communication on working time because it does not guarantee protection for all workers

Brussels, 21/12/2010

Letter to EU Ministers of Labour

Brussels, 24/12/2010

Finland

The situation in Finland is two-sided: on the one hand there have been some positive developments in tax changes and in social benefits; on the other hand, a “productivity program” is being implemented by the government which aims to reduce the number of public employees.

United Kingdom

To reduce the deficit, the Government intends to cut the amount it spends by at least £83bn (€98bn) by 2015 or around 14% of all public spending. There will be some tax rises but the major share of the savings will come from cuts.

21 December

Carlos Ghosn, current CEO and President of Renault-Nissan, officially receives €1.2m salary from Renault, but he also receives a complementary remuneration from Nissan of about €8m, giving him a total salary of €9,240,809 per year. This sum is 573 times the French minimum wage (€1,344.77 per month gross).

20 December

The Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) has adopted guidelines which it believes is a response to answers public anger about outrageous bankers’ bonuses. Under these guidelines, the cash part of bonuses will be restricted and the shares part will be increased, so as to discourage shortsighted and risk-taking behavior by bankers. However, Even if banks are none too happy with these measures, there are serious doubts that they will prevent risky investments being made and in any case, the size of the bonuses remain unaffected.

19 December

The Institute of Leadership & Management has conducted a survey among 3,300 UK managers. Answering the question “What the ideal Christmas present from your employer would be?”, 48% preferred a cash bonus. Just one in 10 opted for a promotion, with one in six choosing more training and development and 12% saying they would like more staff. Just 11% would prefer to have an increased budget.

18 December

In a survey conducted by eFinancialCareers.fr, almost half of the 627 financial professionals interviewed expect that their bonus for 2010 will be higher than last year. Indeed 14% of them expect that it will be 50% higher. Moreover, apart from bonuses, 56% of those surveyed saw their wages grow over the last 12 months. For 55% of them, the increase was less than or equal to 10%.

European Council: disappointing outcome

Brussels, 17/12/2010

17 December

Vince Cable, UK business secretary, had plans to force banks to disclose the number of staff who was paid more than £1m. He was, however, recently contradicted by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who declared that the UK would not unilaterally force banks to disclose pay details and instead would seek a European consensus. A perfect example of an effective lobby by British banks

ETUC meets Jean-Claude Juncker

Brussels, 16/12/2010

16 December

Allied Irish Banks has backed down on plans to pay out €40m in bonuses following a government warning that it would not provide billions of euro in funding to the bank if it did so. Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan told the bank that the non-payment of bonuses is a condition of state assistance for the institution. The bank, which is being kept alive with the support of billions of euro from the taxpayer, was planning to hand over €40m in bonuses to 2400 senior banking

Treaty revision: Stop to the punishment squad and work for Social progress

Brussels, 15/12/2010

ETUC letter to the President of the European Council

European Day of Action - Journée d’action européenne

What / Quoi : ETUC organises a symbolic action to support its affiliates mobilisating against austerity / La CES et les syndicats belges organisent une action symbolique en soutien à ses affiliés mobilisés contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / où: Brussels / Bruxelles

Letter to President of the European Council

Brussels, 15/01/2010

European Parliament Adoption of the current draft directive on the single permit for foreign workers is delayed

Brussels, 15/12/2010

15 December

After the bailout that skyrocketed Ireland’s deficit, Irish bank AIB – which is majority-owned by taxpayers – paid €700,000 in bonuses to just two senior executives in the first nine months of 2010. Another 41 managers shared a €3.06m bonus budget. Furthermore, Irelands Finance Minister Brian Lenihan admitted that about 300 employees of the bank received individual salary increases for the total sum of €3.4m in the first nine months of 2010.

Sweden / Suéde - Meeting / Rencontre

What / Quoi: LO, TCO and SACO meet the Prime Minister / LO, TCO et SACO rencontrent le Premier Ministre
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Stockholm

Slovenia/ Slovenie - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: ZSSS demonstrates against austerity and pension reform / ZSSS manifeste contre l’austérité et la réforme des retraites
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Ljubljana

14 December

Eric Daniels of Lloyds, John Varley of Barclays and Micheal Geoghegan of HSBC are leaving the top slots of chief executive next year. Respectively, they are going to receive bonuses of £2.3m, £3m and £5.6m.

ETUC Resolution: More investment in lifelong learning for quality jobs

Brussels, 01-02/12/2010

Luxembourg

On 10 April 2010 the Luxembourg government proposed an austerity package which the unions refused. Following the mobilization of the unions before and after the summer, some of the austerity measures have been withdrawn with the agreement of 29th of September. However some inacceptable measures still remain.

Malta

The official position of the Maltese Government is that Malta did not have to resort to austerity measures to counterbalance the effects of the international financial crisis and the recession that ensued. However, several important cuts and reforms have been adopted.

1st December: António Horta-Osório

António Horta-Osório, the head of Santander UK, is to become the new chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group on an £8m a year pay package . He will receive a basic pay of £1.035m, and an annual bonus of up to £2.33m. He will also be eligible for a payment of up to 420% of his salary, linked to targets that could see him collect about another £5m, bringing the total up to £8.3m (9.8m euro). This is happening in Lloyds, a bank that in 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the £37bn British government injection of public money in the banking system. This comes when thousands of people are losing their jobs at Lloyds.

France - Demonstrations / Manifestations

What / Quoi: CGT, CFDT and UNSA mobilise against austerity by decentralised actions (regional, local and enterprise basis) / La CGT, la CFDT et l’UNSA se mobilisent contre l’austérité en organisant des actions décentralisées au niveau régional, local et de l’entreprise
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: France

ETUC Executive Committee: European Trade Unions pursue their mobilisation against austerity

Brussels, 30/11/2010

Why the ETUC is against bonuses

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Report: Meeting of the ITUC Coordination Committee

Brussels, 30/03/2010

Spain / Espagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: USO demonstrates against austerity / USO manifeste contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Madrid and major cities / Madrid et grandes villes

Portugal

The set of austerity measures adopted in Portugal include cuts in public employees’ salaries and in social benefits. Some tax changes have also been introduced which will primarily affect workers.

Ireland

To date 3 deflationary budgets, which have taken €14.5 billion out of the economy, have been approved. The Government says it needs to cut a further €15 billion over the next four years (for a total of €29.5bn which is equivalent to 19% of the country’s GDP), to meet the target of 3% of GDP by 2014. Meanwhile, Ireland is in its third year of recession and unemployment has more than tripled from 4.3% (end of 2006) to 13.9% today.

Italy

After having denied the reality of the economic crisis for months, in May 2010 the Italian government announced a budget bill of €24 billion in cuts and savings in public expenditure. This law, highly criticized by unions, should come into force in early December. Other laws regarding labour market reforms complete the pattern of measures.

Poland

The public debt [close to 55% of the GDP] and budget deficit are the foundation of savings strategy adopted by the government. Poland definitely was not hit by the crisis as hard as some of the western economies, but still there was a slowdown to only 1.7% GDP growth in 2009, and a moderate 3% in 2010 [forecast]

Greece / Grèce - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: GSEE and Adedy demonstrate against austerity / GSEE et Adedy manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 25-11-2010
Where / Où: Athens / Athènes

ETUC welcomes EU Parliament decisions on trade and sustainable development

Brussels, 26/11/2010

Spain / Espagne - Demonstrations / Manifestations

What / Quoi: ELA mobilises against austerity - ELA se mobilise contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Vitoria-Gasteiz

For New Skills and Jobs – For a New Labour Market

Brussels, 25/11/2010

The ETUC denounces the discrimination against border workers

Brussels, 25/11/2010

European Multinational’s position on Vietnam wages "totally unacceptable", say ETUC and ITUC

Brussels, 25/11/2010

ETUC letter to the EU Trade Commissioner

Brussels, 25/11/2010

A picture speaks a thousand words

The alternative: European Investment to grow out of National Debts

Why the ETUC rejects Austerity

Switzerland / Suisse - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: SGB-USS demonstrates against austerity / SGB-USS manifeste contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Bern / Berne

Luxembourg - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: OGBL and LCGB demonstrate against austerity with trade unions from "Grande région" (Sarre, Rhenania Palatinat, Wallonia and Lorraine) / L’OGBL et la LCGB manifestent contre l’austérité avec les organisations syndicales de la Grande Région (Sarre, Rhénanie Palatinat, Wallonie, Lorraine)
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Luxembourg

Germany / Allemagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: DGB demonstrates against austerity / Le DGB manifeste contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 19-11-2010
Where / Où: Kassel

Germany / Allemagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: DGB demonstrates against austerity / Le DGB manifeste contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 18-11-2010
Where / Où: Kiel

Germany / Allemagne - Sparpakete Action

What / Quoi: DGB, IG-Metall and IG-BAU mobilise against austerity / Le DGB, IG-Metall et IG-BAU se mobilisent contre l’austérité
When: 17-11-2010
Where: Berlin

Germany / Allemagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What: DGB, Verdi and IG-Metall demonstrate against austerity - Le DGB, Verdi et IG-Metall manifestent contre l’austérité
When: 14-11-2010
Where: Stuttgart

United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: National Student Union and University and College Union demonstrate against austerity / Le National Student Union et l’University and College Union manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 10-11-2010
Where / Où: London / Londres

Portugal - General Strike / Grève générale

What / Quoi: UGT-P and CGTP-IN organise a General Strike against austerity / UGT-P et CGTP-IN organisent une grève générale contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 24-11-2010
Where / Où: Lisbon / Lisbonne

Italy / Italie - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: CGIL demonstrates against austerity and for youth employment / La CGIL manifeste contre l’austérité et pour l’emploi des jeunes
When / Quand: 27-11-2010
Where / Où: Rome

Ireland / Irlande - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: ICTU demonstrates against austerity and for job creation / L’ICTU manifeste contre l’austérité et pour l’emploi
When / Quand: 27-11-2010
Where / Où: Dublin

Czech Republic / République tchèque - General strike / grève générale

What / Quoi: CMKOS organises a general strike against austerity / CMKOS organise une grève générale contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 08-12-2010
Where / Où: Prague

Czech Republic / République tchèque - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: CMKOS industry federations (police and firemen) demonstrate against austerity / Des fédérations industrielles de CMKOS (police et pompiers) manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where / Où: Prague

Greece / Grèce - General strike / Grève générale

What / Quoi: GSEE and ADEDY organise a general strike against austerity / GSEE et ADEY organisent une grève générale contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010
Where Où: Athens / Athènes

Spain / Espagne - Demonstrations / Manifestations

What / Quoi: CC.OO and UGT demonstrate against austerity / CC.OO et UGT manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 15-12-2010 and / et 18-12-2010
Where / Où: Madrid

Germany / Allemagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: DGB, Verdi and IG-Metall demonstrate against austerity / Le DGB, Verdi et IG-Metakk manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 14-11-2010
Where / Où: Nürnberg / Nuremberg

Germany / Allemagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: DGB, Verdi and IG-Metall demonstrate against austerity / DGB, Verdi et IG-Metall manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 14-11-2010
Where / Où: Dortmund

Germany / Allemagne - Demonstration / Manifestation

What / Quoi: DGB, Verdi and IG-Metall demonstrate against austerity / DGB, Verdi et IG-Metall manifestent contre l’austérité
When / Quand: 14-11-2010
Where / Où: Erfurt