“Forum Social Europe – European Network of Trade Unionists” (FSE) met in Brussels on 9-10 June to discuss the political and social consequences of the economic crisis in Europe and the need for trade unions and other social forces to respond.

The meeting heard reports from a number of countries, among them Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy and Portugal. In all these countries, and in many others, trade unions, workers and people in general have experienced forceful attacks on wages, working conditions, public services and social benefits – unemployment has grown and poverty has increased. In many countries national collective agreements, pensions and trade union rights have been considerably cut and weakened – not through negotiations with trade unions, but through government decrees.

In this way, governments, employers, European institutions and the International Monetary Fund are trying to make workers pay for the effects of the financial an economic crisis, even though we have no responsibility for the neo-liberal policies, the redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top and the speculation economy which have created the crisis. The situation is dramatic. If we are not able to stop this development, the trade union and labour movement may possibly face a historic defeat in Europe.

The situation calls for massive mobilisation across Europe to prevent such a defeat. The FSE network therefore appeals to our colleagues in Europe and to all trade unions to take immediate and co-ordinated actions to prevent such a defeat.

We propose:

• A comprehensive information campaign to inform workers all over Europe on concrete developments in each country in order to prevent workers from being played out against each other.
• To mobilise and organise support across Europe to workers who decide to take the fight against austerity programmes and attacks on wages, workings conditions, pensions and social programmes. Their struggle is our struggle.
• To organise as soon as possible a European workers’ conference to strengthen our resistance and to discuss our situation and develop demands, alternatives and strategies to replace the failed neo-liberal policies and abolish all forms of financial speculation – to create jobs and to change to an environmentally and socially sustainable economy in Europe.
• To initiate a debate in the European trade union movement on how to change the policies and approach of the trade unions to adopt them to the new, more aggressive attitudes of the employers, to activate the members, to strengthen the international perspective and co-ordination and to prepare our unions for harder confrontations as a result of the attacks from employers, governments and financial capital.
• That the manifestation planned for 29 September 2010 should be organised as an all-European event, with demonstrations in several capitals and a main manifestation in Brussels.

“Forum Social Europe – European Network of Trade Unionists”

“Forum Social Europe” is a network of left wing trade unionists from several European countries, founded 12 years ago. The starting point was the fact that living and working conditions are increasingly influenced by European policy and that trade unions do not influence this process sufficiently. The aim of the Forum is to encourage a broad societal debate about the development of Europe and European policy in order to design a political alternative to the dominant neo-liberal logic. This will also contribute to European trade unions becoming a strong movement overcoming their institutional and national barriers. The members of the Forum are convinced that a strong and autonomous trade union movement is indispensable for the creation of a social Europe. We support a process of social development of Europe in which the employees and their unions are protagonists – in accordance with our conviction that the unions have to be a movement in the first place and should not be constrained by institutional limits.

Contact person:

Horst Schmitthenner

E-mail: Horst.Schmitthenner@igmetall.de

European Networks