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2006

No new agreement unless employment standards are protected

Date Released: 10 Mar 2006

There will be no new national agreement unless employment standards are protected, SIPTU General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn told a seminar on the draft EU Services Directive in Cork today - March 10. "Powerful vested interests were constantly seeking to ‘reform’ the EU by driving down labour standards and exploiting ever larger markets without having to accept any responsibility for the social consequences," he said.

“This seminar is about one of the most important issues to have confronted Irish workers, and the trade union movement since our entry into what was then the European Economic Community 33 years ago. To be fair, it is important to acknowledge the benefits that can flow from the free movement of goods, labour and services across the EU. But is it also important to be aware of the potential dangers and the very powerful vested interests that are promoting an agenda that gives big business, and employers in particular, the power to exploit ever larger markets without having to accept any responsibility for the social consequences.”

While the ‘country of origin’ principle had largely disappeared from the Draft Directive, Mr O’Flynn said this had been mainly “because of the most vigorous campaign ever mounted by the European trade union movement – of which the mass mobilisation of workers over Irish Ferries last December was an outstanding example”. He also paid tribute to the work of the European Socialist Group (PES) in the European Parliament, the Greens and the Left Coalition in opposing the Bolkenstein draft.

However he criticised the European People’s Party, to which Fine Gael is affiliated and the Union for a Europe of Nations Group, to which Fianna Fail is affiliated, for only agreeing to a compromise when they saw the strength of public opinion mobilised by the trade unions and the left.

Mr O’Flynn said the pressure must be maintained to ensure the new draft Directive - expected in April - contains the sort of protective measures demanded by workers and consumers, especially in areas such as health, education and labour standards.





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