GPTU supports Caroline Lucas (et al) letter on "social dumping" in Europe

On behalf of the Green Party Trade Union Group I would like to lend our full support to the letter that Caroline Lucas MEP (Green), Glyn Ford MEP (Labour), Stephen Hughes MEP(Labour) are sending to the Guardian today.

It clearly recognises that the current disputes about foreign labour are to do with basic trade union demands for proper agreed working conditions and full union recognition which should be supported on these on grounds and not be handed over for exploitation by right wing political organisations.

P.Murry Secretary pp GPTU
(with acknowledgements to Ian Wingrove & Joseph Healy)

Please find below a proposed letter for publication, sent to the Guardian today. 05 February

2009 Dear Sir The multiple walk-outs by engineering construction workers across Britain over the past week have indeed put the corporate threat to jobs and working conditions at the top of both the national and European agenda, as Seamus Milne rightly suggests (The target of this campaign of strikes is now obvious, 5 February).

In response, MEPs from the UK, Germany and Italy, representing Socialists and Greens, have threatened to veto this year's incoming European Commission, unless it agrees to revise the Posted Workers Directive, so that its original intention, to provide equal treatment for all workers, is upheld.

If we are to end "social dumping" in Europe, we must change the law, so that British and other European workers do not have to compete within factories and companies with those forced to work for lower wages and in poorer conditions. Instead of blaming "foreign workers", we should be challenging the rights of multinationals to undercut local pay rates and exploit workers.

It's vital that we resist the attempts of those on the far right who areusing these disputes to stir up racism and xenophobia. We therefore call on MEPs from all nations and political groups to sign our Written Declaration, in order to put serious pressure on Commission and Member States to ensure that they listen to workers across Europe, and that social justice is put above corporate profit.

Yours sincerely
Caroline Lucas MEP (Green), Glyn Ford MEP (Labour), Stephen Hughes MEP(Labour)