Introduce a social protocol in the EU Treaty

The Swedish Trade Union Confederation shall work to ensure that a social protocol is appended to the EU Treaty, establishing that fundamental human rights are not subordinate to the economic freedoms of the internal market. In the event of a conflict, human rights are to have priority. The Swedish Trade Union Confederation shall also work to ensure that clearer definitions are created in the EU Treaty for the respective EU Member States’ competencies.

This was what the Swedish Trade Union Confederation Congress resolved today when it discussed the EU.

Congress emphasised that the EU can be an instrument to develop a political counterweight to global capital movements. The Swedish Trade Union Confederation believes that the new EU Treaty strengthens protection for trade union and other human rights on several counts, but these rights must be given increased weight in relation to economic freedoms. To avoid a restriction of policy and the trade union movement’s scope of action by the European Court of Justice in more areas, a clearer definition of the respective EU Member States’ competencies is necessary.

The Swedish Trade Union Confederation Congress also dealt with the European Commission’s proposal that wage formation should take into account economic viability right down to enterprise level. This contravenes the wage policy of solidarity and must be rejected, in the opinion of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation Congress. The EU’s efforts to counter the crisis must respect the independence of the social partners.