The European Green Party welcomes the coordination and cooperation between different Trade Unions around the different actions on the 14th of November. We welcome that the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is calling for a European Day of Action and Solidarity in favour of employment and solidarity, and against austerity. We have long stood for and continued to advocate solidarity, solidity and sustainability. The Greens commit to joining this mobilization with workers and social movements, calling for real change in current economic policies.
After five years of deep economic, financial and ecological crisis, it is time to say with one single European voice that we need a radical change. Unbalanced policies on social cuts and increases in regressive taxation are just creating poverty, social exclusion and youth unemployment. Europe is entering a scenario of economic stagnation in 2013, with a dramatic rise of poverty and unemployment. Cuts in wages and social protection endanger the European social model, worsening imbalances and fostering injustice.In fact austerity at any cost makes no economic sense; the existence of automatic stabilizers (such as wage indexation, social security, unemployment benefit) has softened the effects of the crisis and we need them, as well as a green investment strategy, to exit the crisis.
The Action Day on 14 November will include several types of actions: strikes, demonstrations, rallies and debates to raise awareness. We support the recent strike in Greece and we join the call to take part in the demonstrations and the general strike in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and perhaps Malta and Cyprus. We call on all Green activists to take part in their country’s demonstrations or with the ETUC in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels.
A Green Europe needs strong social movements. Greens in Europe thus join the Action Day against austerity. This 14th of November, we will reclaim the streets to change our future.
