Capitalism as a system does have a lower limit for the remuneration of human labour. At the same time, the capitalist system keeps trying to infinitely extend working hours of employees. Industrial relationships are becoming more and more precarious in almost all European countries. Women and immigrant workers are particularly affected by social and wage dumping.
This is why we, the network of left trade unionists of the European Left Party, consider it absolutely necessary, as a first step, to accomplish a number of minimum social standards.
We call on the Left Group in the European Parliament and the European Left Party to support these demands. We, on our part, will work in our parties and trade unions to assert the implementation of these positions.
Minimum wages
We stand for the introduction of legally fixed minimum wages or the general application of salary schemes in collective agreements in all European countries. Such legally binding minimum wages, in accordance with the EU Social Charter, must amount to at least sixty per cent of a given country’s average income, and must apply for immigrant workers and so called “guest” workers too.
We struggle for minimum wages that significantly go beyond the poverty level for each country in the EU.
Minimum wages guarantee a decent life for all workers; they include strong socio-political aspects that safeguard the right of high quality standards in public education, public medical care and other social services.
Working hours
Maximum weekly working hours permitted by law, on average, must not exceed 40 hours. All EU rules and national regulations on working hours must be changed accordingly. We struggle at least for a 35 hour week on a Europe-wide level, as ETUC and the respective national unions have indicated it in their programmes.
Retirement
In general, we stand for a statutory retirement age of 60 years. National legislation permitting an earlier retirement age has to be defended.
We are strictly opposed to regulations of any kind whatsoever providing for the extension of working life. We struggle for appropriate public security pensions for all that has to be above the poverty level of each European country respectively.
Industrial representation of workers' interests
Capital is operating Europe-wide. There are no national boundaries for company strategies. For this reason the industrial representation of workers' interests has to be advanced at a European level. European industrial committees are an adequate means to this effect.
Freedom of strike
The trade unions’ unimpaired freedom of strike, including political strike, and the free development of independent trade unions have to be guaranteed in all European countries. Our network is involved in all spheres of trade union activity that fight for the rights of pan-European strikes on European-wide fields and face negative effects on all workers, unemployed, young people, women and immigrants in Europe.
Future for the youth
All young people living in Europe must have the right to get a job that allows them to ensure good living conditions and appropriate participation in the social und cultural life. To realize that aim, young people need the ability to access free and high quality study or apprenticeship. Young people don’t need low level trainings. For the young generations precarious conditions apply to all aspects of live and existence.
Health and safety
We support the decisions of the EL Congress in Prague.
We demand the unrestricted right for the unions in the EU countries to negotiate and sign local, national, international and EU-wide collective agreements. This includes the possibility to initiate strikes to push these through. As part of the trade union movement and as political citizens we will seek the support to this demand from political parties in our countries, its European parties and candidates to the 2009 election to the European Parliament.
The participants of the 4th meeting of the trade unionists network of the European Left Party support the fight of the employees of the Volkswagen Group for the defence of the so called “VW Law”. This law guarantees the future in the factories of Volkswagen, SEAT, and Skoda worldwide.
We ask all members of the European parliament to support the demand of the maintenance of the VW Law.
Barcelona, 4 October 2008
