Building a European social movement empty summit on employment. We re-luding the possibility of heavy fines) for
* Europe
European Union heads of state met in Luxembourg on 20 November, for an print the common appeal for an international demonstration "for a Europe without unemployment, without job insecurity, and without social exclusion."
Europe has the greatest concentration of wealth in the world. Today, it is three times richer than it was thirty years ago. So why is there so much inequality, injustice and unemployment? Why is there so much wide-spread poverty, bad housing and social exclusion? Why the attempt to force women off the labour market and back into the home? Why the systematic expulsion of immigrants? Why is the Social movements
For the first time, we are 7 witnessing the emergence of a truly European social movement. There are two examples: the solidarity movement centred around the Renault Vilvorde conflict, and more recently, the European March against unemployment, job insecurity and social
This March started out from every corner of Europe and converged in the Amsterdam Rally, June 1997, bringing together 35,000 people. The Amsterdam demonstrators, like those who demonstrated for Renault Vilvorde, demand a different Social European policy. A radically different policy from that being put engagement. In contrast, the Stability Pact contains a string of measures, (incany government not respecting the [neoliberal] guidelines.
But even these modest propositions on unemployment have been rejected by the Member States, at a ministerial preparatory meeting of the Summit. And the European Parliament has rejected by a handful of votes, a resolution in favour of the Commission's propositions, and another calling for a 35 hour week.
Mobilisation is vital! Confronted by such overt cynicism, only a mass movement on a European scale can change the course of events. The "official" European trade union movement, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), did not mobilise for the Amsterdam Rally. But now they have decided to call a Europeandemonstration Luxembourg. That demonstration will take place on Thursday, November 20 at 14.30 (2.30 pm). Hardly a day and time which permits a real mobilisation of the hundreds of thousands of wage-earners, unemployed and young people in Luxembourg and the neighbouring countries who demand an alternative social policy.
Even the ETUC slogans are vague: they demand a Social Europe, but without defining any fundamental demands for a real change
Consequently, it is important that the
Later this month Moscow will see the first real municipal elections since President Boris Yeltsin forcibly disbanded the Moscow City Soviet during his 1993 coup. Boris Kagarlitsky The present city duma (assembly) was created by a presidential decree in December the same year. Elections to it took place sımultaneously with elections to Russia's State Duma. But while the new Russian parliament has a certain legitimacy, Moscow's municipal elections were an open farce. Representatives of the opposition had no chance to participate, and there was no freedom to campaign.
Residents of the capital evaluated the candidates, and in the great majority of districts voted to reject all of them! Mayor Yury Luzhkov then retrospectively changed the electoral regulations, so that votes to reject all the candidates were not taken into account.
As a result, the capital acquired what was in effect a one-party duma, in which in place by the Maastricht Treaty conver- European social movement can manifest gence criteria or that of the Stability Pact, signed in Amsterdam. The primary effect of both these treaties involve cuts in social spending as an excuse for reducing budget deficits thereby effectively blocking any attempt to create a dynamic employment policy.
This meeting of heads of state is the Summit of hypocrisy. How long are we going to accept the masquerade of governments hiding behind the "convergence criteria", the law of market forces
The European Commission has proposed that the European Union fix targets to curb unemployment. The Commission's proposed aims are to reduce the official rate of unemployment over a period of five years from 11% to 7% This target figure is completely inadequate. Particularly since there are no accompanying obligatory measures that might lend some credibility to such an 8 International Viewpoint #295 their unity with the maximum force possible. It is for this reason that the network of associations and many trade unions involved in the organisation of the European Marches and the Amsterdam Rally have launched an appeal for a mass demonstration on November 20. in Luxembourg, with two key slogans: • a general and massive reduction in working hours throughout Europe without loss of purchasing power, without job flexibility and with job creation The 35 hour week is the first step. This measure is applicable everywhere! • an income giving everyone a decent standard of living, whether it be a salaried person employed full time, or imposed part time, or with job insecurity or unemployed. * Contact: European Marches against Unemployment, 104 rue de Couronnes, 75020 Paris, France. Tel. +33 1 44 62 63 44 fax. 01 44 62 63 45 Email: <marches97@ras.eu.org> only representatives of Yegor Gaidar's party Russia's Choice were seated, along with a few independents. Gravy train
The deputies used the two-year term allotted to them to the utmost. Soon after the elections the entire city legislature travelled to the USA at public expense to study the latest developments in capitalism. Within the duma, the main debates were on the text of the city hymn and other such important topics.
Throughout the whole of its existence, this great organ has only once adopted a municipal law independently, without the help of the city government. The mavor immediately put a stop to this show of independence, using his power of veto.
In 1995, sensing that they would not survive free elections, the deputies arbitrarily extended their term for another two years. The legal justification was a Yeltsin decree allowing extensions to the terms of