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BackFor employees in Europe, November, 14th 2012 was a day to draw to attention to their own problems caused by an austerity policy, which had been imposed on them by the EU and to show solidarity with countries that were hit hard by the current EU policy aimed at solving the crisis. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called on all its members to organise protests, rallies and actions of any kind to remind the EU that their policy has to be made with its citizens in mind and not just for companies.
Trade unions as well as NGOs and associations organised their members in Europe’s countries and cities to draw attention to the various problems of the people and the deplorable state of affairs in the EU. 24-hour general strikes were called in Portugal and Spain, which to a large extent paralyzed public transport – on the ground and in the air. Greece organised a general strike lasting several hours, whilst many Belgians stopped work altogether, for example in the railway sector. Large demonstrations took place in Italy, France, Great Britain and Belgium. Overall, 23 countries participated in the protests.
The Day of Solidarity not only produced a wide range of actions in the respective countries; the number of participants they attracted was also quite different. In Spain alone, several hundreds of thousands of people took to the street, which is also related to the fact that at 25 % Spain has the highest level of unemployment in the Eurozone. Therefore it is all the more gratifying that also in Austria, a country with a comparatively low unemployment rate, hundreds of people showed their support for the people suffering under the austerity policy by taking part in an ÖGB event - a flash mob on Vienna’s St. Stephen's Square. “Anybody who thinks we in Austria are not affected by the problems in Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal or other European states is very much mistaken”, said ÖGB President Erich Foglar. Europe was in the grip of a downwards spiral from austerity packages via economic collapses and recessions up to unemployment and poverty; social conflicts were the consequence. “It is enough. We have been pursuing the wrong path; what we need is a change of direction.”
Day of Solidarity in Brussels
ETUC, the initiator of the Day of Solidarity, made its contribution in cooperation with the Belgian trade unions in Brussels: with two actions in the heart of the EU district, one criticised the austerity policy of the past years. In the morning, renowned trade unionists, such as the ETUC Secretary General, Bernadette Ségol, marched to the embassies of the states most involved in the crisis: Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Germany and Greece, where they tried to loudly draw attention to their concerns; later they and several hundred demonstrators moved between the buildings of the European Council and the Commission to once again reaffirm and intensify their demands:
-Introduction of a Social Package
-Intensive fight against social and wage dumping
-Economic coordination to support growth and Job creation
-Introduction of an EU-wide Youth Guarantee
-Economic and social justice through redistribution policy
-Introduction of Eurobonds etc.
The present trade unions took the opportunity to symbolically present the European Commission with a deserved “award”: the Nobel Prize for Austerity.
Political change of direction must take place
A political change of direction is needed for Europe to emerge from the crisis and for the EU to move towards a Social Union at last. This has been the opinion of the trade unions for years and this week they have reaffirmed their position on the Day of Solidarity. That the front of assiduous savers slowly approaches a softer stance is not only demonstrated in the last study of the International Monetary Fund, in which it admits “that austerity is much worse for the economy than we thought”. Charles Dallara, boss of the Institute of International Finance, was also critical of the austerity policy in Greece. At an event of the Hellenic Bank Association in Athens, Dallara criticised the one-side consolidation policy in Europe. “It is time to recognise that austerity alone condemns not just Greece but the whole of Europe to the probability of a painful and protracted era of little or no economic growth.“ A change of direction was urgently needed.
Long-standing persistence, public actions and the solidarity of employees can make a difference. A social Europe is and remains the demand of trade unions.
Links:
ETUC – Call for action
ÖGB – Flashmob (German)
The Day of Solidarity not only produced a wide range of actions in the respective countries; the number of participants they attracted was also quite different. In Spain alone, several hundreds of thousands of people took to the street, which is also related to the fact that at 25 % Spain has the highest level of unemployment in the Eurozone. Therefore it is all the more gratifying that also in Austria, a country with a comparatively low unemployment rate, hundreds of people showed their support for the people suffering under the austerity policy by taking part in an ÖGB event - a flash mob on Vienna’s St. Stephen's Square. “Anybody who thinks we in Austria are not affected by the problems in Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal or other European states is very much mistaken”, said ÖGB President Erich Foglar. Europe was in the grip of a downwards spiral from austerity packages via economic collapses and recessions up to unemployment and poverty; social conflicts were the consequence. “It is enough. We have been pursuing the wrong path; what we need is a change of direction.”
Day of Solidarity in Brussels
ETUC, the initiator of the Day of Solidarity, made its contribution in cooperation with the Belgian trade unions in Brussels: with two actions in the heart of the EU district, one criticised the austerity policy of the past years. In the morning, renowned trade unionists, such as the ETUC Secretary General, Bernadette Ségol, marched to the embassies of the states most involved in the crisis: Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Germany and Greece, where they tried to loudly draw attention to their concerns; later they and several hundred demonstrators moved between the buildings of the European Council and the Commission to once again reaffirm and intensify their demands:
-Introduction of a Social Package
-Intensive fight against social and wage dumping
-Economic coordination to support growth and Job creation
-Introduction of an EU-wide Youth Guarantee
-Economic and social justice through redistribution policy
-Introduction of Eurobonds etc.
The present trade unions took the opportunity to symbolically present the European Commission with a deserved “award”: the Nobel Prize for Austerity.
Political change of direction must take place
A political change of direction is needed for Europe to emerge from the crisis and for the EU to move towards a Social Union at last. This has been the opinion of the trade unions for years and this week they have reaffirmed their position on the Day of Solidarity. That the front of assiduous savers slowly approaches a softer stance is not only demonstrated in the last study of the International Monetary Fund, in which it admits “that austerity is much worse for the economy than we thought”. Charles Dallara, boss of the Institute of International Finance, was also critical of the austerity policy in Greece. At an event of the Hellenic Bank Association in Athens, Dallara criticised the one-side consolidation policy in Europe. “It is time to recognise that austerity alone condemns not just Greece but the whole of Europe to the probability of a painful and protracted era of little or no economic growth.“ A change of direction was urgently needed.
Long-standing persistence, public actions and the solidarity of employees can make a difference. A social Europe is and remains the demand of trade unions.
Links:
ETUC – Call for action
ÖGB – Flashmob (German)