Brussels, 27/04/2009 To mark its solidarity with its Turkish affiliates, ETUC is supporting the various demonstrations that will take place in Turkey on 1 May and calls on the Turkish government to respect the right to demonstrate on Labour Day and to make sure that there is no repetition of last year’s incidents.

Brussels, 22/04/2009 Commenting on the death of Jack Jones on 21 April 2009, ETUC General Secretary John Monks said:

Madrid, 01/04/2009 Employment first Candido, delegates, friends, I bring thanks and greetings from the European Trade Union Confederation to the UGT Spain. I bring you thanks because you are one of the most loyal and constant supporters of the work of the ETUC. You are not a fair weather friend. You are a companion and a comrade for all seasons – and I know that, on behalf of the ITUC, Guy Ryder feels the same way.

To download the campaign poster ‘Fight the crisis: put the people first’, please click on the icon below.

Brussels, 16/03/2009 On the agenda is a resolution calling for strong European leadership to guide the markets out of the recession. The trade union leaders will discuss a framework of actions required to prevent the current recession turning into a new depression. In addition, they will launch a European-wide campaign to ‘Fight the crisis: put the people first’, culminating in three action days in Berlin, Brussels, Madrid and Prague on 14–16 May.

Miami, 04/03/2009 President, Secretary-Treasurer, Sisters and Brothers, this is the third time that I have had the very great privilege of addressing this Executive Council. The first two times were when I was General Secretary of the British TUC, an organisation with which the AFL-CIO is very familiar, as we share the oldest international trade union relationship in the world, stretching back to 1894. I guess that the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is not so clear in all your minds.

Miami, 04/03/2009

Brussels, 02/03/2009 To deal with a possible wave of financial market contagion spreading the crisis from one country to the next, ETUC calls for a major increase of the Commission’s balance of payment facility from its present level of 25 billion euro. The ETUC also calls on the European Commission not to allow the International Monetary Fund to abuse currency crises by imposing lending conditionalities undermining the European Social Model.

Brussels, 27/02/2009

Brussels, 25/02/2009

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, 19/02/2009 Reacting to the European Commission’s 2010 Annual Policy Strategy that was published today, European Trade Union Confederation General Secretary John Monks stated: ‘I am surprised and deeply disappointed that the Commission does not include problems that have arisen in the single European labour market in respect of retrograde European Court of Justice judgements and posted workers as part of its policy agenda. I shall be raising these issues at the meeting with the College of Commissioners next week’.

Brussels, 02/02/2009

Brussels, 29/01/2009

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

Bruxelles, 22/01/2009

Brussels, 14/01/2009

Brussels, 08/01/2009

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.

Madrid, 18/12/2009

London, 05/12/2008 Keynote speech of John Monks, General Secretary of the Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) The future of employment I have been asked to bring a historical perspective to today’s meeting. As my wife pointed out – that’s because you have been around a long time.