Revolting Europe
unions
Thousands rally for publicly run health services in Madrid
More than 60,000 health workers and citizens turned out in the streets of Madrid in the fifth mass protest against the privatisation of the capital’s health services since the start of the year. Unions CCOO and UGT and the radical United Left party formed part of the ‘white tide’ rising against the plans of the … Continue reading
Italians say ‘enough’ in mass protest against new government
“Enough. We can not wait any longer.” This was slogan behind which tens of thousands of workers, students, pensioners and radical left activists were marching in Rome Saturday in the first major protest against Italy’s new centre-left-right government. Led by metalworkers’ union Fiom, thousands of people marched to the beat of drums and whistles in … Continue reading
Amnesty for the bosses, none for the workers
France’s socialist government stands accused of ditching yet another pledge after it rejected last week a campaign for an amnesty of workers convicted for offences during strikes and other protest actions. The bill, which excludes those found guilty of physical violence, is ‘an act of justice towards all employees and trade unionists struggling to keep their … Continue reading
Austerity is bad for workplace health and safety
Every year, around 160,000 people die in the European Union as a result of illness or accidents caused by poor working conditions. However, the prescriptions imposed by the EU for ending the crisis – economic austerity and cuts in rights – mean a widespread deterioration of citizens’ living conditions and encourage policies that undermine essential … Continue reading
IBM to slash French workforce as billions are dished out to shareholders
Unions have denounced plans by US -based multinational IBM to slash its French workforce by 1,200 out of a total 9,700 working in the hexagon. The CFDT, CFE-CGC and UNSA unions declared in a joint statement that they couldn’t accept ‘incessant job cuts while IBM plans to substantially increase dividends to shareholders.’ IBM, which employs … Continue reading
Margaret Thatcher: the architect of Europe’s crisis
Thatcher introduced to Europe the economic and political model that is now destroying it. Here’s some dedications from critics (from the European mainland) of the late British prime minister, who has received such lavish, and unwarranted praise, in recent days. French Communist Party: For some she put an end to the “monopoly” of the unions, she … Continue reading
The Rise and Fall of the Welfare State
The welfare state is under attack in Norway as elsewhere in Europe. It must be defended, as far as possible, but there’s no chance of getting a new class compromise to rebuild it when the conditions underpinning that historic deal between bosses and labour many decades ago have been swept way, along with controls on … Continue reading
Spaniards mobilize for ‘regeneration of democracy’
More than a quarter of million people protested Sunday in up to sixty cities across Spain against a deepening corruption scandal hitting the ruling Popular Party, sky-rocketing unemployment and ‘the dismantling of public services.’ Convened as part of region-wide action called the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) for next 13 and 14 March, more than 150 union … Continue reading
Inequality back on the agenda in Germany
A recent opinion poll revealed that most Germans think top managers in the country’s big companies are paid too much. Three out of four Germans say pay packets were too large… Read on at Left Foot Forward
Italy’s new productivity deal: a critique
Wednesday two of Italy’s three trade union confederations signed a ‘productivity’ deal that sees employers gaining greater ‘flexibility’ to alter contracts and working conditions, with negotiations over labour contracts dealt with at a local level and not through sector-wide collective labour agreements. The largest union confederation CGIL rejected the deal. In return for this the … Continue reading
Put ‘Jobs First’ Mr Monti says Italian union as it holds national rally
Workers from Italy’s crisis-hit firms were out in force Saturday at a national rally in central Rome to demand an end to prime minister Mario Monti’s austerity policies that have cost the country hundreds of thousands of jobs and are laying waste to Europe’s second largest manufacturing sector. The day of action, called by Italy’s … Continue reading
Spain: Anti-austerity referendum campaign kicks off
A coalition of 150 Spanish civil society organisations and unions have begun collecting signatures for a referendum on the brutal austerity programme of the Popular Party government of Mariano Rajoy. The complete mismatch between the right wing Government’s programme and the manifesto it won the elections with last November is an underlining theme of the … Continue reading
Iberian revolt continues
Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards and Portuguese rallied in the streets of their countries’ capitals Saturday to protest against deepening austerity plans imposed by their right wing governments. In Madrid, demonstrators sought to ‘encircle’ parliament for the third time this week to show their anger at government spending cuts, tax rises hitting the majority and … Continue reading
Against the theft of wages and pensions!
‘Everyone in Lisbon against the theft of wages, pensions and the reforms!” This is the slogan of major protests to be held today in the Portuguese capital that have been organised by the CGTP union. Together with the country’s largest trade union confederation there will be activists behind the one million strong rallies on September 15, … Continue reading
Spanish, German unions call for ‘new start’ for Europe
The chairman of Germany’s DGB trade union central Michael Sommer, and his counterparts from Spain’s Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) and UGT, Candido Mendez and Ignacio Fernandez Toxo, gathered in Madrid Thursday, as Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to the country, and issued a joint statement: 1. The austerity measures and ultraliberal structural reforms, imposed … Continue reading
WAGES SLIDE
Wealth Inequality in Europe
RADICAL VOICES
Italy’s Healthcare Crisis
NO TO WATER PRIVATISATION
Filthy Rich
SANTA DRAGHI’S COMING
WORKERS FIGHTING BACK
FLORENCE’S BUS LUMACA
Massive Spanish protest
FRENCH FACTORY OCCUPATION
International Workers Day 2012
DATA
Discrimination: legal news
- Lithuania - A group of NGOs address the Parliament proposing amendments to the Law on Equal Treatment (PDF 63 kB)
- Romania - Amendments to the Anti-discrimination Law adopted as emergency ordinance without observing public consultations procedures (PDF 59 kB)
- Romania - Proposed amendments to the Anti-discrimination Law are presented by the NCCD for public consultations (PDF 58 kB)
