European metal unions came together at the 6th European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) Collective Bargaining Policy Conference November 17 and 18, to debate and endorse a second Europe-wide common demand for more secure employment against precarious work.

European metal unions came together at the 6th European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) Collective Bargaining Policy Conference in madrid on November 17 and 18, to debate and endorse a second Europe-wide common demand for more secure employment against precarious work.

The 1st EMF common demand on training, launched four years ago, saw the issue being raised in a large majority of the relevant collective bargaining rounds that took place across Europe, and in many cases concrete results were reached.

The 2nd EMF common demand on precarious work commits all 75 unions affiliated to the EMF to pursuing for the next four years a bargaining agenda that addresses the negative consequences of precarious work.

The demand is based on the following points:

  • secure employment, avoiding plant closures and redundancies;
  • an active wage policy aimed at a strong increase in real wages and income support,
  • for only with a secure income can internal demand within the EU be stabilized and
  • risks of deflation rejected;
  • stronger European coordination of collective bargaining since the undercutting of
  • wages must be avoided at all costs;
  • stronger European cooperation at company level;
  • stabilizing lowest incomes by minimum wages where relevant; and
  • enlarging and defending the coverage rate of collectively bargained wages.

 

"The International Metalworkers' Federation welcomes this important strategic step against the growth of precarious work throughout the world," said Jenny Holdcroft, IMF Director for ICT, Aerospace and Equal Rights.

"In the continuing fallout from the global financial crisis, millions of workers in precarious employment have lost their jobs. For employers, cutting temporary and agency jobs has proven to be a cheap and easy way of reducing their workforce. Unions are working towards reversing this situation through fighting for changes to legislation and, as in this case, through collective bargaining," said Holdcroft.