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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2014 :: RMTnews
14
The European Union is clearly
not working. Across Europe
unemployment is exploding
while the EU intensifies its
attacks on workers’ and trade
union rights and the public
services they rely on.
Public services including
postal, transport, energy,
education and health services
are being privatised as part of
the EU austerity agenda being
imposed on member states by
unaccountable EU institutions.
Yet the UK Independence
Party, which claims to oppose
the EU, supports EU rail
privatisation, opposes real
workers’ rights in favour of big
business – just like the EU – and
supports Tory and EU austerity
policies everywhere.
The voices of working people
that are clearly not happy with
the direction the EU is taking is
not being heard. The failure of
the major parties to represent
this feeling has led to a political
vacuum which is being filled by
Tory outriders like UKIP or,
worse, groups like the British
National Party.
WORKERS’ RIGHTS
Workers have been told to put
up with the EU’s mass
privatisation drive because of
alleged benefits from EU
legislation such as the working
time directive and the agency
workers’ directive.
However these very limited
and fast-disappearing ‘rights’
represent little more than a
sugar-coating for the EU
liberalisation and privatisation
agenda.
Moreover none of these
‘rights’ deal effectively with
issues arising from mass
unemployment, the introduction
of zero hours contracts and low-
paid workers being forced to
work in multiple jobs.
Workers on zero hours
contracts have no guaranteed
earnings. They are often called
to attend work at short notice, a
cycle that places a particular
strain on families and those who
have to arrange care for
dependents.
So why hasn’t the much-
lauded EU Agency Work
Regulations (AWR) defended
these vulnerable workers?
Firstly, the regulations only
kicks in after 12 weeks on the
same temporary assignment.
Then the so-called ‘Swedish
derogation’ in the regulations
assists employers to avoid any
VOTE No2EU
Bob Crow says vote No2EU on May 22 to support workers’
rights, defend the NHS and oppose mass privatisation