Bruxelles, 16/04/2008
The ETUC believes it is necessary to strengthen European governance, to take account of the link between the EU's external policies (bilateral agreements, introduction of social and environmental standards) and its internal policies. There is also a need to improve the organisation of financial movements and to curb speculation on all raw materials, including wheat, maize and oil. It is time to put in place a genuine industrial and energy policy within the framework of climate change. Joël Decaillon explained: "Europe needs solidarity and coherence to cope with globalisation. The report presented at this conference focuses EU reform on the labour market. However, the ETUC, which is currently campaigning for an increase in pay and purchasing power, notes that pay rises are not keeping up with increasing labour productivity. Four factors contribute to this phenomenon: the growth of precarious work, threats of relocation, imports and pressure from shareholders."
Will work continue to be merely an adjustment factor, or will it be the European Union's strong point?
The structure of Europe's future labour market is at stake.
"Yes to reducing unemployment, but no to an impoverished workforce. Making Europe more competitive globally means choosing effectiveness over precariousness. This can only happen as a result of an upward movement in pay patterns, mirroring workers' increased skills and recognising them fairly. More than 50% of young people in Europe have completed higher education. So why is this recognition not found in the structure of the new jobs being created and in pay scales? Promoting a social Europe today means finding a solution to this paradox and a commitment to a gradual consistency in pay and productivity levels, which still vary too widely in the European area. That is how we will create new prospects for sharing added value and creating real solidarity and European cohesion. That is how we will pave the way to sustainable development."