A Europe that works for workers -- Fair mobility and strong labour rights, Bratislava - Main contents

Extraordinary meeting of the Workers' Group

The Workers’ Group will hold its next extraordinary meeting on 12 and 13 October 2016 in Bratislava.

The first part of the meeting, which is taking place in the afternoon of 12 October, will be devoted to an evaluation of the priorities and programme of the Slovak Presidency and to social developments in that country. After an introductory speech by Gabriele Bischoff, President of the Workers' Group, representatives of the Slovak government, the Slovak trade unions and the world of research will report on the situation in this country where the growth rate is among the highest in Europe but the wages still relatively low. The representatives of the Slovak government who are expected to participate in the discussions include Prime Minister Robert Fico, Ján Richter, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, and Peter Žiga, Minister of Economy. Jozef Kollár, President of the confederation of trade unions KOZ SR, is also expected to attend.

Another major subject of discussion will be the future of the EU project and the risk of failure of the EU's achievements over the last 60 years, in particular in terms of fundamental rights and values. The debate will take place on 13 October and will be introduced by Georges Dassis, President of the EESC. If the EU is to restore the confidence of its citizens in it, it desperately needs to come up with a positive project for its workers and Mr Dassis is expected to address this issue focusing in particular on the need for Europe to guarantee fair living and working conditions for its workers and citizens. In this context, the Group will debate workers' mobility as one of today’s most controversial issues in European policy-making. The European Commission has proposed a revision of the directive on posting of workers. Their freedom of movement, although a fundamental right guaranteed by the treaties, is one of the reasons that prompted British citizens to vote for the UK to leave the EU. They fear social and wage dumping as a result of people coming from other EU Member States to work in the UK, and such concerns are shared by citizens in many other countries. The answer that Europe will provide to this question will define its future direction.

Speakers on this topic include Branislav Ondruš, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, Jackie Morin, Head of Unit for "Free movement of Workers" at the European Commission, Liina Carr, ETUC Confederal Secretary, and Cinzia Del Rio, member of the Workers' Group.

Address: Hotel SOREA Regia, Kráľovské údolie 6, 811 02 Bratislava, SR

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is an EU advisory body comprising representatives of workers' and employers' organisations and other interest groups. It issues opinions on EU issues to the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, thus acting as a bridge between the EU's decision-making institutions and EU citizens.

What does the EESC do?

It gives the interest groups a formal say on EU legislative proposals. Its 3 key tasks are to:

• - 

  ensure that EU policy and law are geared to economic and social conditions, by seeking a consensus that serves the common good