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1
Prague, 26 February 2009 Ministerial conference
“ Strengthening EU competitiveness – potential of migrants on the labour market”
Towards a single European labour market a European trade union perspective
on mobility and migration
Catelene Passchier
The Challenges
• The financial/economic crisis: unemployment on the rise
• Climate change• The demographic challenges;
feminisation of the workforce• Migration from outside, mobility within• Europe in the wider world; poverty
increasing
Responses urgent to:
• Excesses capitalism and unfettered search for short term profit
• Rising inequality • Deterioration quality of jobs: precariousness• Internal market rules invading national
(social) space• Strong feelings of insecurity• Protectionism, nationalism, xenophobia
A new vision for Europe?!
• A new social deal ............
• Protection, to prevent protectionism !
3 areas for action
• Combat racism and xenophobia, promote integration and equal opportunities of migrant and ethnic minority workers
• A better framework for mobility within the EU: European rules of the game
• A proactive policy on economic migration
Equality and integration
• A genuine two way process• Full citizenship • Access to education, housing etc• Access to quality employment• Respect for cultural and religious difference• Act against discrimination • Awareness raising positive contribution
migrants
Role social partners
• Equal access to employment needs targeted and joint activity
• Act on workplace discrimination and harrassment
• Invest in language skills, training • Works councils and workplace rep's to reach
out, inform and support • Unions to organise and represent
Safeguarding mobility
• Basic principles: equal treatment and fair competition ( EU Treaties !)
• Make national systems mobility proof• EU rules of the game
EU rules of the game
• Host country principle wages and working conditions = basis free movement of workers
• Equal access social support systems• Respect national industrial relations and
collective bargaining • Monitoring and enforcement labour
standards• Rethink rules on workers moving in
framework of 'services'
10
Internal market rules versus national labour law
Proactive migration policy (1)
• More focus on employment and development, less on security and repression
• Priority for investing in unemployed and underemployed workers already on EU territory, including migrants and ethnic minorities
• Emphasis on human rights: migrants are no merchandise > subcontracting-trafficking
Proactive migration policy (2)
• Legal channels for economic migration at all skills levels, prevent two tier migration policy, selecting 'those we want' and expelling 'those we do not want'
• Prevent brain and youth drain • Bridges out of 'illegality' for undocumented
workers: recognition of social, labour and human rights
• “what price the tomatoes?!”
Priority 1: strengthen social dimension EU
• Mobility and migration: from restrictions to conditions
• Combining open borders and protection• Strong involvement social partners • Respect social systems • EU is about social progress !