Brussels, 30/04/2007
ETUC General Secretary John Monks stated: “Public services fulfil a social cohesion function. Through the petition we have launched, workers are demanding that account be taken of the collective needs that are vital to us all, such as health, social services, housing, water supply and so on.”
Trade union organisations will take advantage of Labour Day not only to defend social solidarity, but also to reaffirm the importance of public services, which must be both high-quality and accessible to all. Throughout Europe, trade union organisations will be highlighting the ETUC petition and the need for more signatures, in order to oblige the European Commission to issue a framework directive clarifying the rules applied to services of general interest, so as to safeguard their general interest mission in the event of a conflict with the rules of the internal market.