Spanish trade unionists joined civil society organisations in a march through the city of Ceuta in February, calling for justice and fair treatment for refugees and migrants. Several hundred people took part in the seventh March for Dignity, including CC.OO Confederal Secretary of Employment and Professional Qualifications, Lola Santillana. With the slogan ‘In front of your walls, we build bridges’, they demanded respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international humanitarian law, and compliance with the Spanish immigration framework.

These are central to trade union activities so it is impossible today not to support them.

Defending undocumented workers - means defending all workers

Commenting on today’s EU Valletta Summit, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said:

Excluding undocumented workers from contributing to and benefitting from education and other public services costs EU citizens far more than including them, says a brochure published for the International Migrants Day (December 18) by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Union MigrantNet. Estimates for the number of undocumented migrants in the EU range from under 2 million to almost 4 million. It is unknown how many are in undeclared work. What is clear is that undocumented workers are

On International Migrants Day, the ETUC wishes to express its solidarity and support for undocumented migrants. Too often, sans papiers suffer the humiliating and degrading experience of being excluded from society, on top of inhumane working conditions. 

Swedish trade unions and their business counterparts are helping new immigrants to obtain decent employment. The ‘Fast Track’ programme has already found 5,000 jobs for experienced chefs, for example, with backing from the Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (HRF). In cooperation with the Swedish Public Employment Service, the scheme aims to cut unemployment periods for new arrivals by rapidly validating their skills, especially in industries that are short of workers.