Representatives of the Joint European Secretariat of the OGBL and the LCGB participated in the ETUC mid-term conference in Rome this week.
More than 400 trade union leaders from all over Europe gathered from Monday to Wednesday to discuss the future of the European trade union movement and the vision of trades unions for Europe of European workers and their families. The central topics developed during the conference were the creation of quality jobs, wage increases and collective bargaining, the future of work, sustainable development and equality.
Affiliated organisations have been joined by a number of speakers, including the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, Michelle Teresa Leighton of the International Labor Organisation (ILO) and the Luxembourg Minister of Labour, Social and solidarity economy, Nicolas Schmit. The Minister stressed the importance of salaries as a driver of growth and the need for the implementation of the European Social Rights Platform.
In a declaration adopted at the conference, called the Rome Declaration, trades unions agreed to act together to promote investments for sustainable growth and the creation of quality jobs, a fair transition to a low-carbon economy, digitisation and automation for sustainable development, wage increases and rising wage convergence, a solid basis for European social rights and ambitious legislation on work-life balance, and fair mobility and migration to combat social and wage dumping.
Luxembourg was represented at the ETUC mid-term conference by André Roeltgen, OGBL president, Véronique Eischen, member of the OGBL executive board, Vincent Jacquet, LCGB deputy general secretary, Francis Lomel, general secretary Of the LCGB and by Henrike Wolter, in charge of the European Common Secretariat of the OGBL and the LCGB Asbl.
