Reclaim Life - Fight Precarity!
With the Campaign "Reclaim Life - Fight Precarity" the European Left wants to call the attention to the precarious working and living conditions affecting more and more people in Europe and worldwide. Large parts of the European population are subject to temporary, contingent and flexible employment generating amongst other low income and social insecurity.
The European Left rejects the concept of “flexicurity” included in the Lisbon Treaty, as this does not mean the improvement of job security, but the dismantlement of collective bargaining and the reduction of legal protection. Instead, the EL prioritises steps for full employment in regular jobs, increasing wages, pensions and social allowances.
Along the EL Campaign, activities in several European countries have taken place, such as in Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, France and Greece, where workers and people on the streets have been approached and invited to take action and join discussions with trade unions and social movements. In addition to these initiatives, the following activities have been part of the Campaign against Precarity:
EL Summer University. Paris, 10-14 July 2008
Humanité Festival. Paris, 12-14 September 2008
EL Participation at the European Social Forum 2008. Malmø, 17-21 September 2008
Left Trade Unionist Network Meeting. Barcelona, 4 October 2008
4 Hours against Precarity. Brussels, 25 October 2008
Below you find the Campaign text, also available in other languages (see right column).
Do you like working 65 hours per week, sometimes until you reach the age of 70? Or do you wish to have a better life, a secure job and a decent salary? Right-wing and social-democratic governments, EU authorities, financial markets and multinational enterprises “offer” you the first. We are proposing to fight together for the second.
Our present is getting tighter. What about our future? Precarious. Precariousness is not an exception, but the definition for millions of men, women, young people, who don’t see any future worth living for and are facing uncertainty at present.
Being precarious is the result of neoliberal policies. It’s a new system of domination, based on the people’s insecurity and uncertainty for tomorrow: Work a lot and fast, only when you are called, only a few days a month. Or work all the time, day and night, fast, faster, and more. Work and be poor!
Especially women are the first victims of precariousness, because of the characteristics of their professional life: interruption due to pregnancy and raising children, lower salaries, part-time work, difficulties to find a job after 50, and, at the end, significantly lower pensions.
Don’t wonder if you are able to resist. Ask yourself how to overcome precariousness! Reclaim a better life!
Reclaim:
• Guaranteed minimum wages all over Europe, which make it possible to have a life in dignity, participate in social and cultural life and get out of illegal or precarious work. Equal payments for equal work and access to full-time jobs for everybody.
• Secure well-paid jobs in secure working spaces with full, guaranteed welfare, democratic and trade-unionist rights in the working place.
• Collective bargaining, reduction of legal working time and guaranteed, decent pensions for all.
• Public, free, high-quality and emancipating education at all levels, university degrees that lead to full scientific competence and professional rights.
• Free access and unconditional public support to all forms of knowledge, new technologies and culture.
• Guaranteed social benefits, low-cost and high quality housing, universal access to public transport, access to a high-level public health system for all. Development and protection of public services as driving forces against precariousness.
• Gender equality concerning wages, pensions, permanent education rights. Harmonization of the women’s rights following the most progressive models existing in Europe. Protection of women’s rights (such as the right to abortion) from ideological and political attacks by conservative and fundamentalist forces.
• Respect of social, cultural and political rights of migrants. A true co-development policy based on democracy, respect of populations and social progress.
• Generalized adoption of anti-discrimination policies at all levels.
• We demand that the EU Budget takes into account the necessity of a new social and sustainable development in the new EU States, in order to improve life standards for people in Eastern Europe. The introduction of the Euro in the eastern countries can not be the pretext to increase inequalities and social dismantling.
These are some objectives that have to be reached, in order to fight precariousness and construct a decent future.
During the last 10 years, 8.6% of the GDP in Europe was transferred from the labor to the capital side. We have to activate all political and economic levers, in order to change this logic. The NO of the people (in the referenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland) to the European Treaties and to their competition policies provoking precariousness and insecurity proves that social and political protest is growing in Europe. We have to build a large movement, try to unite popular classes, unions, movements and left forces in a common struggle against precariousness. It’s necessary to do this now and immediately.
Don’t keep your anger to yourself. Speak out. Resist. Move. Organise.
Reclaim Life - Fight Precarity!
Together with the European Left and the social movements, a better life is possible.