Published Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 23:57
by
Editor
(2056 views and 0 comments)
The “Putting the puzzle together: policy coherence for decent work” Conference organized by the Global Progressive Forum (GPF), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Solidar and Social Alert International took place today in Lisbon, Portugal, preceding the International Labour Confederation (ILO) forum on Decent Work for a fair globalization.
Among the participants, a strong presence of trade unionists, members of civil society organizations but also members of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU. All together they called for achieving Decent Work at global level – an essential condition to attain a fairer globalization.
Juan Somavia, Director-General of ILO, underlined the importance of creating alliances among progressive associations – and having them working together coherently according to a toolkit providing common guide-lines. Portuguese Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity, José Vieira da Silva, has also mentioned the Decent Work as a new global vision of development. The Portuguese Minister connected “Decent Work Decent Life” to the Lisbon Strategy, as the success of the external dimension of the Lisbon Strategy would permit to strongly support Decent Work at a global scale. Moreover, a new concept of sustainable development for the 21st century would comprehend three subjects: preserving the environment, assuring human rights... » read more ...
Tags: decent work, development, fair trade, globalization, solidarity
Published Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 22:41
by
estherbcn326
(1502 views and 0 comments)
The debate on the economic and social model that Catalonia needs cannot be held without taking into account the political strategy of the European Union in this field. In fact, since some years ago, the globalized world in which we live has made necessary for the Catalan economy to add its weight to the total weight of the European countries that conforms the Union, so as to reinforce its participation in the world market.
For much of its recent history, the European Union has been a
driving force of social and economic progress crucial for our
development. Until 2000, Directives such as the Equal Pay
Directive for men and women (1975), the Directive on the
protection of workers' health and safety at the workplace (1989),
the Directive protecting the rights of workers posted in another
Member State (1996) and the antidiscrimination Directives for
racial and employment equality (2000), brought big advances in
cohesion and in the quality of life for Europe's citizens.
However, from 2002 on, Europe has seen few significant social
policy initiatives, and this passivity –both from the European
Commission and the Members States- has concurred with an increase
of the socioeconomic tensions caused by the impact of
globalization in the labour market, with the massive... » read more ...
Tags: education, employment, equality, welfare
File:
Catalonia in the New Social Europe301007.doc
Published Friday, October 26, 2007 at 09:40
by
lubraneski 
(1587 views and 2 comments)
L'adage populaire est-il prêt de s'éteindre?
La division "conditions de vie des ménages" de l'INSEE nous livre aujourd'hui les résultats d'une enquête sur la santé des plus pauvres d'entre nous. Exempt d'être traité de gauchiste, et scientifiquement plus opérationnel que les instituts de sondage, l'Institut National des Statistiques et des Etudes Economiques rend compte, avec cette étude, d'une situation extrêmement grave, qui, pour ceux d'entre nous qui y sont confrontés de plus près, n'est pas étonnante.
Elle n'est pas étonnante, mais elle est pour autant inadmissible. Inadmissible dans un pays développé comme le nôtre et disposant, contre toute idée reçue qu'un gouvernement voué à la classe dominante voudrait nous vendre, de marges de manoeuvre qui existent bel et bien au budget de la France (lire à ce sujet les "10+1 questions sur la dette à Liêm Hoang Ngoc" - éd. Michalon).
L'analyse des résultats, que vous trouverez ci-après, met le doigt sur... » read more ...
Tags: health, public services, welfare
Published Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 11:31
by
carl0s
(1163 views and 2 comments)
So much rhetoric
seems to be aimed at the aspirational middle class. Isn't there a
distinct danger that we alienate those who aren't especially
interested in academic pursuits? Or those who, because of
temperament or necessity, prefer not to work in offices?
When we hear our "leftist" politicians declare that the welfare state is dead, we should expect that stable, safe and well-paid employment should be available to all - or prepare for some dire consequences! Anyone with a conception of history knows what happens without a welfare state and how inequalities in health and life are entrenched.
Whilst graduates from top universities and schools may account for a large proportion of our parties' leadership, this does not represent the population as a whole, in the UK, or anywhere around the EU!
So we need checks on the casualisation of labour across the EU and tight regulation of the employment agencies which have become so profitable over the last few years. Full rights for temporary workers from day one, and the extension of the "ECDL" concept to cover trades and semi-skilled occupations.
Human nature being what it is, the era of protection at work, in health or in school... has not ended.
Tags: employment, equality, welfare
Published Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 11:37
by
Editor
(1507 views and 0 comments)
What do young Europeans think should be in the PES manifesto? Around 40 activists from the Danish Social Democratic Youth gave their take on Europe’s future at yesterday’s manifesto work groups in Brussels. We asked them what they considered the most important priorities for the theme New Social Europe:
Ritu Madsen, Denmark, business school student
“I think rights to the childcare should be in the PES manifesto. I didn’t think about it before coming to this meeting, because we have good opportunities for childcare in my home country. Now I understand that this is not the case in all European countries.”
Sidsel Andersen, Denmark, secondary school student
“It is important to create good opportunities to combine work and... » read more ...
Published Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 13:39
by
Mochinho
(1068 views and 0 comments)
In my opinion the forthcoming manifesto should contain positions on the problems of hedge funds. Using a biblical metaphor these funds have been nicknamed as locusts in the public discussion in Germany.
The problems regarding hedge funds are known. Especially for employees there is little or no certainty concerning their future. The manifesto should call for a more humane capitalism and emphasise the possible legal measures the EU can take in a globalized world.
Tags: employment, globalization
Published Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 13:34
by
lubraneski
(1074 views and 1 comments)
Les 12,13 et 14 Octobre, à Toulouse, un rassemblement national de socialistes français est organisé par le RASSEMBLEMENT DES PROGRESSISTES EUROPEENS.
Des ateliers et de nombreuses interventions auront lieu. De nombreux responsables nationaux du Parti Socialiste prennent part à cet événement : Benoît Hamon, Henri Emmanuelli, Kader Arif, Harlem Désir, Claude Bartolone, Bruno Leroux, Marylise Lebranchu, ainsi que Denis Baupin et Noël Mamère (Les Verts), Olivier Dartigolles (PCF), Jean-Michel Baylet (PRG)... etc...
Que nos amis socialistes des autres pays d'Europe qui passeraient par là n'hésitent pas à pousser la porte et à participer aux ateliers !
Ci-joint brochure du programme
Published Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 12:00
by
Editor
(1505 views and 0 comments)
Statistics show that a significant proportion of citizens
in Europe, 16 percent according to Eurostat estimates, are at
risk of poverty. Some employed people also find themselves living
in poverty because of the existence of precarious, low-paid jobs
in Europe – the so-called “working poor”. Decent minimum wages
are considered one of the best ways to fight working poverty.
All 27 EU member states have some form of minimum wage: most of them as a statutory right, whereas seven countries (Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Sweden) have minimum wages through bargaining between employers and labour unions. This often taken place within sectors, which means that for a number of jobs there is effectively no minimum wage.
The level of minimum wages, however, varies a lot across Europe. Therefore, many people call for an EU target to be established for minimum wages, so that member states converge towards a decent minimum wage for all European citizens. Obviously, it is not possible to pay the same wages in all countries, because of the large differences in income across Europe. It makes more sense to compare minimum wages as a proportion of average gross earnings. Current rates range from 32 percent... » read more ...
Tags: decent work, poverty, wages
Published Friday, October 5, 2007 at 10:51
by
Editor
(1498 views and 3 comments)
Is there a
15 percent discount for European employers when hiring women
instead of men? Recently the European Commission published a
communication highlighting the gender pay gap as one of the
inequalities that women face in Europe. On average working women
earn 15 percent less* than working men. This is due to many women
working in lower paid sectors, the so-called glass ceiling, more
women working part-time than men and plain discrimination. This
15 percent difference could be translated as 15 percent of
working time that women have to work additionally in order to
earn the same as their male colleagues - or that 15 percent of
the time they work, they work for free. We could then say that
women will work for free from the 9th of November until New Year!
What can be done to overcome the gender pay gap? Is this only a women’s issue, or should men join the battle to erase this inequality? The EU has already taken certain steps, but should it receive more competence in this field?
The price tag above is from the PES Women action “Gender Pay Gap, Shut it!”
Read the » read more ...
Published Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 12:12
by
Editor
(1243 views and 0 comments)
“Flexicurity” has become a buzzword. This labour market concept, combining high levels of flexibility and security, is generally linked to northern European countries like Denmark and Sweden, but has also proved successful elsewhere, e.g. in the Netherlands. In this model, relations between employers and workers are much more flexible, but the state also invests a lot of money to bring the unemployed back to work more quickly. Unemployed people receive benefit payments, but in turn, they must also accept re-training and qualification measures. It is an approach based on rights and duties.
Instead of job security, the idea of flexicurity is to create employment security; the security of always having work, but not necessarily a job for a life-time.
True, such “Active Labour Market Policies” cost money, but the results are impressive. Denmark’s unemployment rate, for example, has dropped from 13 percent to 3.9 percent in the years of the labour market reforms.
So could this be a model for all European countries?
Recently the European Commission has issued a communication aimed at setting common principles of flexicurity in Europe. However, it is always pointed out, that each country will have to find its own version of the flexicurity concept, because... » read more ...
Tags: employment, flexicurity, globalization, public services
Published Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at 10:33
by
Editor
(1329 views and 4 comments)
Should Europe offer a special ‘blue card’ to skilled immigrants? Recently EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini announced that he is planning a proposal for a European version of the US’ green card.
The proposal is motivated by the fact that only five percent of the migrants that come to Europe are skilled. In contrast 55 percent of the migrants in the US are skilled.
“We have to reverse these figures with a new vision,” says Mr. Frattini to euobserver.com.
To deal with ‘brain drain’, particularly challenging for parts of Africa and the Caribbean, the commissioner explains his proposal will promote “ethical recruitment standards” to limit recruitment in particularly vulnerable countries.
Inger Segelström is a Swedish social democrat and a member of the European Parliament. In her opinion immigration should not be limited to skilled workers, but their families should be allowed as well to ensure integration into society:
“It is important to... » read more ...
Tags: employment, globalization, immigration, PES
File:
test1_9.pdf,
test_6.doc
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