PARLIAMENT PROPOSES MATERNITY PAY RISE

The European Parliament’s Women’s Rights Committee has voted in favour of improved maternity and paternity rights for workers in the European Union (EU).  At the end of February the Parliament’s Committee voted in favour of a redrafted response to the Pregnant Workers Directive which would mean increasing minimum maternity leave to 20 weeks from the current 14 weeks (the European Commission are proposing 18 weeks and the World Health Organisation recommends 24 weeks); fully paid maternity leave at 100% of the woman’s last monthly salary or her average monthly salary; at least 6 weeks compulsory maternity leave after the birth (compulsory leave period is currently 2 weeks); prohibition on the dismissal of pregnant workers from the beginning of their pregnancy to at least 6 months following the end of maternity leave; and for maternity leave rules to apply to domestic and self-employed workers. The European Parliament also proposes at least 2 weeks fully paid paternity leave.  The UK already has 2 weeks paternity leave but it is only paid at a flat rate of £123.06 per week.  The European Parliament plenary vote will place on 25 March 2010.  

SUPPORT GROWS FOR ROBIN HOOD TAX

During the February plenary of the European Parliament I formally proposed that the European Commission should look seriously at introducing a global financial transaction tax (FTT), the Robin Hood Tax. On the same day the campaign was launched in the UK.  The campaign is made up of a coalition of Trades Unions and NGOs fighting against poverty in the UK and overseas.  The Robin Hood Tax advocates a tax of 0.05% on speculative banking transactions which could raise billions to tackle poverty.  Later in the month the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs committee voted in favour of a resolution on ‘Financial transactions taxes – making them work’.  Although the Committee favours a global tax, if this does not seem achievable it believes the EU should consider going it alone.   The European parliament called on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment to see how far such a tax could contribute towards stabilising financial markets and prevent a similar crisis by targeting undesirable transactions.  The Party of European Socialists are planning a European Day of Action on 24 April to raise awareness of the Robin Hood Tax. (You can see a recording of the speech on the Robin Hood Tax at http://martinmep.com

PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS FIGHT CUTS IN SERVICES ACROSS EUROPE

Trades Unions in Greece, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland and Portugal have all taken industrial action against cuts in public services.  In Greece a general strike took place on 24 February in response to the Greek Government’s planned austerity measures, following pressure from the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the Eurozone Finance Ministers.  The public sector workers were demonstrating against job cuts, wage freezes, pension cuts proposed by EU Governments seeking to reduce public spending deficits following the banking bail-out and fiscal stimulus packages put in place to stave off economic depression.  The ETUC and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) gave their full support to striking workers stressing that Greek workers had the full support of the European labour movement and stating that: ‘Europe’s message to the Greek people should be one of solidarity and support not one of social dumping and destitution’.

LABOUR MEPs SUPPORT COSTA RICAN PLANTATION WORKERS

I was pleased to lend support to Johana Thomas Rodriguez, a union activist from SITRAP (the Costa Rican Union of Agricultural Plantation Workers), on a mission to Brussels to lobby the European Parliament, Commission and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to help halt anti-trade union legislation being adopted in Costa Rica.  Earlier in February the GMB launched a major UK campaign calling for an end to the use of the Pope John XXlll in San Jose, the Costa Rican capital, being used to promote employers’ anti-trade union campaigns.  The GMB will also be sending a delegation to Costa Rica in March for a series of meetings with our Costa Rican trade union colleagues and representatives of major EU supermarkets.

DAVID MARTIN MEP (Scotland) Midlothian Innovation Centre, Pentlandfield, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RE, Tel 0131 440 9040, david@martinmep.com   www.martinmep.com