Galery

1

Fátima Taboada López

Intern

Crisis, unemployment, lack of democracy, lack of social support ... And no one knows when this will end. Some people point out the lack of a common economic policy as one of the main problems of the current situation. Others say that the power of the European elite that does not pay attention to workers, which are the strongest group, is leading Europe towards a catastrophe, striking a strong blow to democracy through the policies carried out against the will of the people. Moreover, all this is leading to the rise of fascism and the far right in many European countries, which is something important to consider and necessary to face because of its serious influence on the population.

But whose fault is that? Why are the measures taken not working? There is a need for a strong investment plan that would lead to the restructuring of Europe without any additional cutbacks. Austerity is not the solution, as it only increases inequality between countries. What needs to be done is to achieve employment growth and take development measures.

Despite the great differences between the north and the south of the European continent, several general secretaries from all over Europe met yesterday in Athens to discuss the problems that Europe is facing right now. They noted the upcoming May elections as crucial to the future of the continent for a change of direction in politics and the work of trade unions to guide decisions that will be taken after that. The crisis is not something that affects only the south because even if it is stronger in this area, it causes a boomerang effect.

Bernadette Ségol, secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation, explained that the crisis is not over and, despite the fact that there is a small recovery in some countries like Spain, the main problem is that jobs have not yet been created and 50% of young people are unemployed. In addition, Cándido Méndez (General Union of Workers) said that youth unemployment is a concern, but unemployment in people aged over 35 years is more important since, probably, they will not experience recovery in terms of employment in the near future. “There is a political campaign which affirms that Europe is emerging from the crisis, but that's just propaganda”, said Ignacio Fernández Toxo (Workers’ Commissions), adding that the European Parliament is marginal. It is positive to give sovereignty to the European Union, but in exchange of guarantees for everyone.

Susanna Camusso (Italian General Confederation of Labour) said,“Italy has 25% of its population in the red, what would happen if there were more wage cuts?”. These types of changes are made through the policy, so it is necessary to change the politics of Europe. As Eich Foglar (Austrian Federation of Trade Unions) said, only a united and caring Europe would resolve the problems because all countries have a shared responsibility. “The mission of the European Trade Union Confederation is to fight for these rights, because peace is achieved through struggle”.

Arménio Carlos (INTERSINDICAL) pointed out the Troika’s lack of success in Portugal, since the tax debt was lower before its arrival and the employment growth forecast is for 0.04% until 2050. The government is happy because of the decreasing debt but it is impossible for it to maintain that level if there is no employment. In south Europe there is a kind of colonization or dictatorship on the part of the north, which only leads to social decline. This opinion was supported by Nikolaos Kioutsoukis (General Confederation of Greek Workers) who also advocated a change of currency in Greece and the payment of World War II reparations by Germany.

In addition to the need to help these southern countries, Anne Demelenne (General Federation of Belgian Labour), said that it is also necessary to make some social changes in rich countries, as, for example in Belgium, a worker earns 15 euro per hour whereas an immigrant receives 6 euro per hour.

The next meeting will be in Brussels on 4 April during a European trade union demonstration, while the European Parliament is preparing to elect its new members.