Sponsored by
EU told to support employment rights
THE European Union will lose its citizens’ support if it undermines people’s employment rights, it has been told.
TUC and Foreign Policy Centre representatives gave the warning to EU commissioner for employment and social affairs Laszlo Andor.
The two bodies spoke out at the launch of a new publication - Single Market, Equal Rights? - which claims that employers are being allowed to drive wages and working conditions down rather than pull the standards of poorer countries up.
The publication includes essays by academics, trade unionists and business representatives and questions the value of the European Union.
But the publication warns against the UK government taking back powers on employment and social rights which it says could be expensive and isolate our country.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “If ordinary Europeans feel that the EU is about little more than open markets, tight controls on public spending and privatisation, then support for European integration will collapse just as surely as night follows day. A Europe without a strong social dimension is doomed to fail.
“Europe has historically balanced the interests of free trade and open markets with those of workers and their unions. It’s a bargain that has served the continent well for decades. And it’s one that we abandon at our peril.”
Foreign Policy Centre policy director Adam Hug said: “The recent UK debate around the possible repatriation of current EU employment and social rights has taken us up a blind alley. The idea is both undesirable and unworkable. As part of a single market for goods, services and capital there needs to be some common ground rules on workers’ rights.
“However, we need greater clarity from the EU political institutions about how existing powers, such as the posted workers directive, are supposed to work in practice rather than having to rely on the European Court of Justice to answer these questions.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.