Workers’ rights under the spotlight as union lobbyists meet with EU employment ministers

Trade union lobbyists met European employment ministers yesterday to press for stronger working rights across the EU.

Leaders of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and other workers' groups held talks with senior politicians from Slovenia, France and the Czech Republic, ahead of a meeting of EU employment ministers that runs until tomorrow.

The unions emphasised their opposition to current "excessive" wage moderation, and stressed the need to protect workers' spending power to counter recessionary risks.

"Europe risks being perceived as a one-way street, where the share of wages is always going down," warned ETUC general secretary John Monks. "We cannot allow that to happen.

"The ETUC is deeply concerned about the threat of growing social inequalities in Europe: between rich and poor men and women and workers with secure employment compared to those with precarious work and poverty wages."