ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch addressed the International Labour Conference in Geneva. The following speech was delivered on 10 June 2024 during the plenary discussion on the report of the Director General titled 'Towards a Renewed Social Contract'.
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President and distinguished delegates,
the ETUC, representing 45 million workers and their trade unions is proud to have joined the Global Coalition for Social Justice. We are committed to play our part to support the ILO and to help to renew the social contract.
Because we can only build a more just world together.
The 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia states that “poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere’’ or in our trade union words “an injury to one of us is an injury to all of us.’’
The Director General in his report ’Towards a Renewed Social Contract’ notes that the social contract is fraying.
As workers, employers and government representatives gathered here at the ILO we have the duty to help stitch back a better social contract.
In Europe we are experiencing a social justice emergency. Even the fundamentals of a social contract are put in question, ideas of solidarity, the principle of a fair days pay for a fair days work, of taxation of the wealthiest, non-discrimination and the protection of the most vulnerable, the right to asylum, even the right to unionise are being put into question.
Workers are faced with increased job insecurity combined with a cost-of-living crisis that has lowered quality of life and has made basics such as a home and food unaffordable for many. This contrasts sharply with the privileged few who have outsized power and influence, who refuse to pay their fair share of taxes. Exploitation is all too present. A recent ILO report laid bare the scandal that illegal profits from forced labour in Europe amount to more than 84 billion euros annually!
Far-right forces are once again gaining ground. The European Parliament now comprises a concerning minority who have a political project that is hostile to the social contract. These far-right forces exploit Europe’s social justice emergency but offer no solutions for working people.
Solutions are needed. There can be no doubt, no complacency, we need a renewed social contract to build hope and cultivate justice everywhere, including for Europe.
The ETUC vision for a renewed social contract is one that protects and promotes the inherent dignity of every individual, respect of the worker and the work that they do, no matter what their job, no matter who they are, where they are from or who they love.
A social contract that delivers a fair share of the profits to all those who contribute to its creation.
It is a project of hope built upon genuine social dialogue that recognises the value of trade unions. Let’s be clear the renewed social contract cannot be built on union busting or attempts to criminalise trade unionism. The ITUC in their global report identify a deteriorating situation for trade union rights in Europe.
The worst is in Belarus, where trade unions leaders are imprisoned for many years in inhuman conditions. We call for their release, the dropping of all charges and full implementation of the Conference Resolution on Belarus under article 33 of the ILO Constitution and the respective action plan adopted by the Governing Body.
For the social contract to be stitched back together, we must stand together to ensure that the fundamental rights to freedom of association, the right to organise and collective bargaining and the right to strike established by the ILO are ALWAYS respected, protected and promoted.
This is the path to defending and reinforcing democracy in Europe and the world.
The Director General’s Report on the Occupied Arab Territories highlights the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The ETUC restates our call to the EU to use all tools at its disposal to secure an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, adherence to the International Courts rulings, an increase in aid to UNRWA, and for that aid to be delivered safely and urgently.
The ongoing developments for the recognition of Palestine highlight a new momentum for the two state solution and peace and security for Israel and Palestine.
We condemn the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine that continues to cause loss to life, incomes, employment and livelihoods. For over two years trade unions in Ukraine have shown their resilience, relevance and bravery in representing working people in Ukraine.
President, distinguished delegates, social partners, brothers and sisters,
the ETUC stands ready to work in a tripartite manner to foster peace, to build social justice and to work together for a renewed social contract.