Minutes of the European co-ordination meeting held in Brussels on November 30th 1996

Agenda

Information on the various European networks, and the situation in each country.

Discussion on the agenda for the European Hearings: It was decided to change the date (originally 1-2 February) to 22-23 February, at the request of the British and Spanish participants (a number of congresses and trade union meetings are planned for the first weekend in February). A technical co-ordination meeting will be held in Brussels on Saturday February 1st.

Discussion on the marches, the routes and the type of march planned. The discussion on this subject was introduced by a complementary document produced by the European secretariat. Ideas on the routes will be presented in a later document, together with the agenda for the European Hearings.

Discussion on the European secretariat. The general idea is to move as quickly as possible (ie from January-February) towards a genuinely European secretariat, with participation of all the countries which wish to do so. The presence of the Belgian and Dutch organisers is indispensable.

European Marches

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Coordination 09/96

Presentations of networks

European Network of Unemployed (ENU)

Kairos Europe

JOC Inter

Country-by-country presentations

Belgium:

The Groupe d'initiative held its first meeting on November 4th, and decided to seek broader contacts, including the trade union federations. On December 12th, two working groups discussed the possible route of the marches (see below) and the title. This should be a positive expression. It is also important that participation in the marches be an individual initiative, rather than the simple expression of organisational decisions. There was a suggestion to prepare a »Marcher's Card«. They also discussed the relationship between the marches and other initiatives, so as to enable the establishment of the widest possible reception committees, and the reception of the marchers by the mayors of the towns they pass through.
At the February Hearings, they suggest putting the accent on the testimony of the excluded, and reports on activities, rather than »big debates.« To link the Hearings with the broader social movement, it is planned to organise five small Belgian marches, which will converge on Brussels. It was also suggested that the Hearings enable people to attend »as a family«, which creates the problem of child-space.

Netherlands:

A conference »For a Different Europe« was held on 19 October. This is a step towards the organisation of a counter-summit, larger than the reception of the marches, with workshops on ecology, democracy, etc. Participants offered to support and prepare the marches in the April-July period, with groups coming from all over the Netherlands, and including trade unions, unemployed groups, and individuals. There was a strong demand for precision about what we expect from the Dutch organisers, particularly in logistic and financial terms. Who will pay for the section from the Dutch border to Amsterdam? Questions were also raised concerning the organisation of the European secretariat.

Ireland:

The idea of a »Celtic« march (Ireland, Wales, Brittany) is gathering strength. local marches in Ireland will be received by the mayors of the towns they pass through. Participants expressed sharp criticism of the monetary union and its consequences, and enquired about the position of the European Trade Union Confederation. They asked for clarification on the February initiative. Will it be just a working meeting, or something more?
Don't forget, Ireland is further away than we often think. There will be a problem with financing the transportation.

Britain:

A conference was held in Manchester on 26 October, with about 50 participants, including trades councils and unemployed groups. There were participants from London, Birmingham, South Wales but nothing from Scotland, not yet. Just contacts. There was unanimous support for the marches. Participants at the Brussels meeting raised tactical questions. It will be necessary to pay something to unemployed marchers, since by participating in the march they will loose their unemployment benefit payments. There will not just be unemployed marchers. We will see this more clearly in January.
Since the Manchester meeting, the organisers have received the support of more trade councils, and a group of left parliamentarians from the Labour Party. The organisers are currently seeking concrete offers of support, including trade union sponsorship of 250 marchers, work with homeless groups, etc. They hope to organise a coach to the Brussels initiative.

Germany:

European Marches

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A meeting with unemployed organisations, left currents and parties was held on 31 October. The PDS gave its support. A secretariat was established for regional co-ordination. There was discussion on the programme, and the orientation of the marches, the rights of immigrants, links to Eastern Europe and the South, our attitude to monetary union, etc. The next meeting will be held on 19 January in Hannover. A conference to discuss and prepare the marches will be held in Mannheim on 15016 March. A meeting of left oppositionists in the DGB trade union federation will also be held. This will make it easier to win the support of local trade union bodies.

Switzerland:

ADC wants to organise a march segment between La Chaux-de-Fonds (Jura), Laussane and Geneva. They are seeking wider contacts. Switzerland is not in the EU, but this is a march against unemployment, not about whether we are for or against the EU.

Spain:

The CGT trade union confederation will participate in the marches. It considers the Florence appeal to be very weak, and would like to see an explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-Maastricht text. It is for the absolute autonomy of the marchers, and will be on the watch for any attempt to »capture« or take credit for the marches.

France:

The French associations also meet in the secretariat, which seeks to deepen the preparation of the marches, and widen support, particularly among trades unions.
A common meeting is planned for December, with local committees, civic groups, and trade unions. Contacts have already been made with the FSU, the left in the CFDT, the Group of Ten, SUD, etc). We will seek the support of parliamentarians and political organisations, while preserving the autonomy of the movement.
The Hearings of the AC! movement (which has about 100 local committees) resolved to participate actively in the marches, to denounce neo-liberalism and Maastricht, without limiting ourselves to the framework of the EU. The General Estates of the Social Movement, which were created during the social movement of November-December 1995, and which bring together actors from those movements, trade unionists, and intellectuals, hope to generate similar support all over Europe.

As for the organisation of the marches, France will be a host country for marchers coming from Spain and Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and, to some extent, Ireland and Great Britain. These marches will converge towards Belgium and Amsterdam.

European Hearings against Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Exclusion, Brussels, 22-23 February 1997

The Hearings will have three functions.

• Exchange information and experience between unemployed groups, associations and trade unions at the European level. This implies organising lots of workshops, so that the militants can express themselves, and allowing for sufficient free time for the informal exchanges.
• On-depth discussions on the positions of each participant, given his/her country of origin, militant activity, and ideological convictions.
• Preparing joint activities, above all the Spring marches.

Draft Agenda

• Saturday 12:00 Reception, greetings, reading out messages, short videos
• 13:00 Presentation of the agenda and the material conditions of the hearings, presentation of the general project at the European level.
• 14:00 Workshops
  1. Unemployment in the various countries, systems of support and benefit, the work of associations.
  2. rising job insecurity and flexibility. The role of trade unions in the struggle against unemploymen
  3. housing
  4. social and cultural marginalisation
  5. public service, defending »welfare«
  6. the right to asylum, and the situation of non-nationals
• 17:30 Parallel workshops for each march route, including (probably)
  1. Ireland, Britain, France, Belgium, Holland: to discuss one or two marches: Ireland, Britain via London, northern France, Belgium, Holland; and Wales, Brittany, France via Paris, Belgium via Brussels, Amsterdam.
  2. Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland: starting in Italy, then joined by the Swiss of the Lake Geneva region and the French from Grenoble, continuing to Basle, and then descending the Rhine valley into Holland.
  3. Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland: a Nordic march
  4. Germany, Holland: starting in Berlin, with a possible south German march, passing via Munich. This would allow the Austrians to start a march.
  5. There will also be an »Amsterdam« workshop, which will discus the problems of reception, tasks linked to the demonstration, and the debates during the counter-summit.
• 20:00 dinner and social evening (but with a »Manifesto« working group, in which representatives of each working group will try to amend the text.)

• Sunday, 09:00-12:00 workshops on the general orientation of the marches
  1. European institutions and their policies (single currency, etc.) and the consequences for employment (introduced by Kairos?)
  2. The Europe we want to build. What opening to the East and the South? Refusing Fortress Europe (introduced by someone from the Spanish state, maybe the CGT).
  3. Essential emergency measures for Europe, social Europe (introduced by the reporters of the Saturday workshops).
  4. Abolishing unemployment, reducing the working week, full employment (introduced by AC!, Michel Husson and/or Ireland's INOU?)
  5. Specific women's demands (introduced by Germany)
  6. Finance, the resources needed for such a policy
• 13:00-15:00 Plenary session, lunch break, approval of the manifesto and the principle points of the march strategy.

Invitations and observers

The proposal is to have a wide range of invitations and observers, going beyond the forces which will actually participate in the organisation of the marches.
We will invite associations and trade unions, intellectuals engaged in the struggle against unemployment and marginalisation, parliamentary groups in the European Parliament, and various political currents. These invitations do not imply the obligation to make a speech (although anyone who wants can express him/herself in the workshops). The president of the hearings will read out a list of invitees and excuses.

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