The proposed European constitution is “a threat to jobs, services, rights and democracy”, according to the RMT union.
Speaking at the European Social Forum, RMT president Tony Donaghey, said European workers should unite against the threat to jobs, public services, democracy and rights posed by the constitution.
The constitution is supposed to make decision-making easier in the recently expanded European Union (EU). Controversially, it also proposes the creation of a president and a foreign minister for the EU.
It will be signed by the 25 members of the EU on 29 October in Rome, but before it can come into effect in 2007, all member states must ratify it by parliamentary vote or referendum. The British Government has indicated that it will hold a national vote on the question.
However, Donaghey called the constitution ‘a privatisers‘ charter’ under which the lowest bid for services would win.
“Opening up Europe’s railways to competition will pit worker against worker and can only force pay and conditions down – and that is exactly what Europe’s boss class wants,” he said.
“Any government that hands over power to the degree set out in the proposed constitution is in reality no longer a government at all,” Donaghey said.
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