Date: 22 April 2009
UNISON, Scotland’s largest public service union, today called on Euro election candidates to back campaigns to overturn negative European legal rulings and restore the human rights of working people, following the approval by the Scottish TUC in Perth of a composite moved by the RMT union.
The composite calls for a ‘Social Progress Protocol’ to be inserted into the Lisbon Treaty – to hold employers to national collective agreements and to back the right to strike.
Jane Carolan, from UNISON’s National Executive announced that UNISONScotland had released a European election manifesto, which calls for a range of measures to be introduced to defend workers rights, and is calling on Scottish members to judge the policies of the political parties on a range of issues – workers rights, the environment, anti-racism and others - before they cast their vote.
Jane said “Recent decisions of the European Court of Justice have asserted the primacy of the economic freedom of business and undermined national labour law and collective agreements. The Viking, Laval, Ruffert and Luxembourg judgements have made clear that the market rules, and that public services and employment and collective rights are therefore always under attack.
“Unless we defend our rights we will end up in a Europe in which capital roams free and where labour is cheap, plentiful and unprotected – neo liberalism writ large.
“The European Trade movement needs to develop teeth to deal with a capitalist system fighting for its own survival and one that has already proved that it has little truck with the problems of working people.”
ENDS
Note for editors:
The Viking judgement said that the collective action by the Trade Unions contravened Article 43 of the EU Treaty. The right of business to freedom of establishment anywhere in the EU. In Laval, the collective action of trade unions was deemed to be in breach of business freedom to provide services within another EU state. The same considerations apply in Ruffert and Luxembourg.
UNISON’s European manifesto is available on the UNISON-Scotland website http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/
.
UNISON. Scotland's biggest and liveliest trade union, representing members delivering public and related services.
Showing posts with label Euro election June 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Euro election June 2009. Show all posts
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Sunday, 22 March 2009
UNISON Scotland calls on Euro candidates to make pledge for World Water Day
Date: Friday 20 March 2009
Embargo: 00.01am Sunday 22 March 2009
Sunday 22 March is World Water Day. Across the world campaign groups will be highlighting the importance of clean water and sanitation. UNISON, Scotland’s water trade union is supporting that campaign by asking European Parliament candidates in the June election to sign up to the following pledge:
As in Scotland, 90% of the world's water utilities are publicly owned. Research undertaken by the University of Greenwich (PSIRU) and the World Development Movement has confirmed that the private sector hardly invests in water services when they take over and that most of the large multinational companies have withdrawn from this field of operation. With the financial crisis, several of these companies, including Veolia and Suez Environment, have announced that they will reduce their investment plans. Rather then investing, they are cost-cutting. It is therefore not realistic to believe that the private sector will assist in bringing in investment to reach the Millennium Development Goals.
UNISON Scotland is therefore arguing that the EU should approve and support this pledge in its preparation for the World Water Forum, and make funds available to stimulate public-public partnerships.
UNISON Scottish Organiser Dave Watson said:
“Across the world communities are rejecting the privatisation of water services. Yet in Scotland, despite the economic crisis, we still have a few supporters of market madness who champion this cause. Public water operators bring us closer to meeting the needs of billions who are without regular drinking water and sanitation services. Private companies cannot be allowed to profit from this most basic need”
ends
Notes to editors:
UNISON Scotland has written to all the European candidates from all of Scotland's main political parties: Labour, SNP, LibDems, Conservative and Greens asking them to sign up to our four World Water Day pledges.
The PSIRU research can be found at:
Pipe Dreams - the failure of private sector investment in water services
http://www.psiru.org/reports/2006-03-W-investment.pdf
Sewerage works - about public investment in sanitation services
http://www.psiru.org/reports/2008-03-W-sewers.pdf
UN report
http://webworld.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/index.shtml
UNISON Scotland/STUC report ‘It’s Scotland’s Water’
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/water/scotland's_water.pdf
World Water Day is Sunday 22 March 2009
The European Elections will be on Thursday 4 June 2009
Embargo: 00.01am Sunday 22 March 2009
Sunday 22 March is World Water Day. Across the world campaign groups will be highlighting the importance of clean water and sanitation. UNISON, Scotland’s water trade union is supporting that campaign by asking European Parliament candidates in the June election to sign up to the following pledge:
- To recognise access to safe and clean water and sanitation services as a human right.
- To organise the World Water Forum by the United Nations, rather than a private body like the World Water Council.
- To promote Public-Public Partnerships rather than public-private partnerships.
- To support the maintenance of Scottish Water as a public sector utility.
As in Scotland, 90% of the world's water utilities are publicly owned. Research undertaken by the University of Greenwich (PSIRU) and the World Development Movement has confirmed that the private sector hardly invests in water services when they take over and that most of the large multinational companies have withdrawn from this field of operation. With the financial crisis, several of these companies, including Veolia and Suez Environment, have announced that they will reduce their investment plans. Rather then investing, they are cost-cutting. It is therefore not realistic to believe that the private sector will assist in bringing in investment to reach the Millennium Development Goals.
UNISON Scotland is therefore arguing that the EU should approve and support this pledge in its preparation for the World Water Forum, and make funds available to stimulate public-public partnerships.
UNISON Scottish Organiser Dave Watson said:
“Across the world communities are rejecting the privatisation of water services. Yet in Scotland, despite the economic crisis, we still have a few supporters of market madness who champion this cause. Public water operators bring us closer to meeting the needs of billions who are without regular drinking water and sanitation services. Private companies cannot be allowed to profit from this most basic need”
ends
Notes to editors:
UNISON Scotland has written to all the European candidates from all of Scotland's main political parties: Labour, SNP, LibDems, Conservative and Greens asking them to sign up to our four World Water Day pledges.
The PSIRU research can be found at:
Pipe Dreams - the failure of private sector investment in water services
http://www.psiru.org/reports/2006-03-W-investment.pdf
Sewerage works - about public investment in sanitation services
http://www.psiru.org/reports/2008-03-W-sewers.pdf
UN report
http://webworld.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/index.shtml
UNISON Scotland/STUC report ‘It’s Scotland’s Water’
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/water/scotland's_water.pdf
World Water Day is Sunday 22 March 2009
The European Elections will be on Thursday 4 June 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)