Lisbon represents a 'good deal for workers and a good deal for trade unions'

Posted by Bronwen Maher on September 03, 2009 at 11:48 AM

Labour MEP for Ireland East, Nessa Childers has welcomed the publication today (Tuesday, 1^st September) of a document from the Charter Group of trade union leaders outlining why the Lisbon Treaty is good for Irish workers and trade unions, stating that the publication is “an informed, measured and accurate depiction of where Lisbon stands on workers rights and the delivery of a ‘Social Europe.”

Describing the Lisbon Treaty as “a good deal for Irish workers and a good deal for Irish trade unions,” Nessa Childers said; “The publication of this document is an extremely important intervention. This very significant initiative by a group of experienced senior trade unionists sets out in extremely clear and unambiguous terms how, by ratifying Lisbon, we can improve workplace protections for Irish workers by making the European Charter of Fundamental Rights primary EU law which Ireland will then in turn be legally obliged to accept.”

“Lisbon will, for example, be very significant in the context of the issue of collective bargaining rights in Ireland and the right of workers to take collective action.

“By adopting the Treaty and establishing the provisions of the Charter as primary European Union law, the hands of trade unionists and like-minded politicians would be greatly strengthened in terms of our efforts to ward off attempts to use the current recession as a smokescreen to attack the pay, conditions and representational rights and aspirations of Irish workers.

“Many opponents of the Lisbon Treaty have quite predictably made deliberately misleading, misguided and disingenuous claims about Lisbon eroding the rights of workers on many fronts, while in fact the absolute opposite is the case. 

“I share the view espoused by ICTU and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) that Lisbon represents a good deal for Irish workers and a good deal for Irish trade unions,” Nessa Childers MEP concluded.

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