Unions to mark day of action against austerity measures

General Workers Union secretary-general Tony Zarb and Forum secretary-general John Bencini today presented a letter to the Prime Minister, calling on the government to take a message of social solidarity to his EU counterparts a the EU summit this week.

The Council of Ministers' meeting will be preceded by Europe-wide protests against governments' austerity measures in the wake of the Greek sovereign debt crisis.

The summit is expected to endorse the fiscal pact adopted in December 2011, that will make it mandatory for EU member states to balance their books, under pain of penalties. The measures will also mean more fiscal tightening.

The GWU and Forum, both members of the European Trade Unions Confederation, appealed to the prime minister for the support and emphasis on quality jobs and the fight against precarious employment, as well as the need for social justice.

The unions urged the prime minister to give visibility to their concerns during the EU summit, saying the economic and social crisis had reached "intolerable" levels for many Europeans where austerity measures were causing enormous social harm.

"We call on the EU to find the right balance and pay attention to people rather than governments that abstain from any political and social responsibility."