No to Austerity: Yes to Jobs and Solidarity in Europe

The STUC is supporting the ETUC ‘s day of action. Today sees workers mobilising and standing up against austerity and for a new social compact in Europe. We want to see a real social dialogue, an economic policy that fosters quality jobs, economic solidarity between countries and social justice.

Austerity measures are dragging Europe into economic stagnation and recession. Growth has stopped and unemployment is rising inexorably. Cuts to salaries and social protection are attacking the European social model, worsening inequalities and fostering injustice.

Youth unemployment is one of the most damaging consequences of the obsession with the discredited economics of austerity. More than half of young people in Greece and Spain are without work, more than a third in Italy and Portugal, and 27% in Cyprus.

Currently in Spain more than13 million people (27% of the population) are living below the poverty line and more than 2,200,000 children are growing up in poor households. The extent of this crisis is severe and it is absolutely clear that further austerity measures cannot be pursued in this context without serious and long-term damage to society.

Yet the architects of austerity have no idea and no plan of how to rebuild economic growth – they are simply focused on keeping financial markets happy without regard to the social and economic costs.

This is why trade unions across Europe are taking action today under the banner of the ETUC. Workers are paying a steep price for the crisis and the austerity measures that have been imposed on them while it remains business as usual for corporations and financial institutions across Europe. We need to stop tax fraud and put an end to tax havens and tax competition between countries. Proposals like the financial transaction tax also have an important role to play to help repair the damage of casino capitalism.

To find out more about this action sign up to the ETUC facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CESETUC     

Or follow the campaign on twitter: #14Nov2012

Also sign the ITUC’s pledge against austerity: http://act.equaltimes.org/en/node/144 

Helen Martin
STUC