by René Lavanchy
BRITAIN’S biggest unions will call on the Government to commit itself to a social Europe and protect workers’ rights and public services, including the National Health Service, across the European Union at Labour’s National Policy Forum next week, Tribune has learned.
They will also challenge Britain’s military aid to Colombia, and urge ministers to convert their funding to development aid, in the light of the Colombian military’s poor human rights record.
Unions discussed their policies for Britain’s global relations, which form part of their agenda for the “Warwick II” policy process, with the Foreign Office this week.
A spokesperson for the Communication Workers’ Union, which is backing some of the amendments to Labour’s policy documents, said: “For too long now, the neo-liberals and neo-conservatives have been dominating EU policy. We want to co-operate with all those organisations and people who want to push the pendulum back towards this concept of social Europe”.
The CWU is joining with Unison, Unite and the GMB union in encouraging Labour to reject market-based solutions in the EU and outside. They are proposing that the next general election manifesto commit to the concept of a social Europe, and to defending workers’ rights alongside consumer rights.
In particular, Unite wants the Government to demand that the EU put union rights before the free movement of goods and services across Europe.
The policy is intended to restore unions’ right to industrial action, which has been undermined by the European Court of Justice’s decisions in the Viking, Rüffert and Laval cases.
Claude Moraes, Labour MEP for London, said he agreed that union rights had to be re-asserted: “Viking, Rüffert and Laval are genuinely disturbing to British trade unions. It’s not surprising those amendments are coming through.”
“There’s a steady progress on the social dimension: part-timers, temporary workers, paternity rights, all those have been covered as time has gone by. You’ve got to see Viking-Rüffert-Laval as a blow to that progress.”
The union proposals come as the Party of European Socialists in the European Parliament prepares its manifesto for next year’s elections. MEPs in the group intend to introduce legislation protecting the right to strike, which would be the only way to overturn the ECJ judgements.
Unite and Unison are also seeking a commitment to opposing a single market in healthcare, which they say could undermine the NHS. A draft European Commission directive would force the NHS to pay for the cost of British patients’ care in other EU countries, if it would offer them the same service in the UK.
Several Labour MPs have attacked the directive. Jon Trickett, MP for Hemsworth, recently warned it would “over-rule clinical priorities and worsen health inequalities”.
Unite have also promised to push for the Government to review its policies on Colombia, to which it gives £350,000 a year in military aid. The policy amendment would see the funds diverted to social development.
NPF member Ellie Reeves told Tribune she would support the proposal: “While human rights abuses continue from the Colombian military, I don’t think military aid should be directed to them.”
