Brussels, 25/02/2009 President, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is grateful for this chance to address the College on what is evidently the worst economic crisis ever experienced in the EU. I can agree with messages that are being stressed by employer colleagues on the importance of maintaining the single market in the EU and to recognise the need to work together on key questions, but from the ETUC perspective, what is being done is also inadequate both in scale and in urgency in key areas.

Brussels, 22/01/2009 Never again - Ways to rebuild the European Social Market Economy

Paris, 08/01/2009 Conference podcast To view the symposium's contributions, see its website. John Monks participated at the second session on Globalisation and social justice. Globalisation and social justice Saying ‘I told you so’ is not the best way of winning friends and influencing people.

Madrid, 18/12/2008 Speech by John Monks, General Secretary of the Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Ola, Buenos Dias. I come to bring the respect and greetings of the whole of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to one of our most important affiliates, the Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions CC.OO. It is common place to say that we meet in challenging times. You read that phrase used every day in management reports to shareholders in our major banks. It really means – we are in a hell of a mess.

Bilbao, 25/11/2008 Speech by John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) President, friends, it is with great pleasure that I come to address the ELA Congress in Bilbao, a city and region in the Basque country with traditional, commercial, sporting and cultural connections with my own country.

Brussels, 09/10/2008 Workers’ rights and economic freedoms – View from ETUC A British trade union lawyer colleague of mine who is here today termed the recent quartet of legal judgments in the European Court of Justice – an accident waiting to happen.

Brussels, 24-25/06/2008

Brussels, 30/06-01/07/2008 {{{CLOSING SESSION: Bali and beyond – strengthening EU-Asia strategic cooperation on global market issues and decent work}}} {{ To be checked against delivery}} I would first like to thank the European Commission, the Indonesian Government, and the two EU Presidencies which have straddled this two-day conference for helping to bring into effect the decisions of the Helsinki Summit concerning the promotion of social dialogue in the ASEM context.

Harvard, 16/04/2008 The Germans have a word for it 'Schadenfreude', taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. And there are excuses for schadenfreude around in the trade union movement today as we contemplate the wreckage of the credit crunch and the newfound vulnerability of the financial services sector.

Brussels, 04-05/03/2008

Ljubljana, 5/04/2008 To be checked against delivery President, Dusan, friends. Europe’s workers need a pay rise. Europe’s workers deserve a pay rise. And Europe’s workers are going to fight for a rise. That is our message to Europe’s leaders today. We cannot any longer tolerate declining purchasing power and real wages that do not match productivity growth. We cannot any longer stand by and watch the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.

Stockholm, 8/05/2007 To be checked against delivery My first Congress after my election as General Secretary of the ETUC was the TCO Congress in 2003 and four years later, I am pleased to be back. I am pleased too to see the progress made by Swedish trade unionism in the past 4 years but not so pleased to have to share your apprehension about the harmful changes being made by the current Swedish Government.

Brussels, 07/12/2006 The Committee will start to draw up the trade union position for the EU Spring Council 2007, and continue preparations for the ETUC Congress in Seville in May next year. And it will assess progress in the ETUC's petition campaign in support of public services across Europe. General Secretary John Monks will make a statement on how trade unions can respond to the new 'casino' financial capitalism that is undermining jobs and working conditions worldwide.

Brussels, 01 December 2004 The Lisbon strategy is about reaching ambitious objectives in the economic, the social and the sustainability field through a strategy of innovation and by investing in a knowledge society. Lisbon is not about wage cuts or competition on the basis of bad working conditions; instead it is about economic, social and ecological policies that are mutually strengthening each other. This is why the ETUC has welcomed the Lisbon strategy from the beginning.