NICE 2000
Declaration of War against Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Social Exclusion
When clear evidence of Europe's thriving economies is shown by new levels of wealth, others see a different kind of future for millions among us, a future of widespread job insecurity, mass unemployment, and a life of poverty.
The European Union today claims to have drafted a »Charter« of Basic Rights', while still pushing on with dereglementation policies; the destruction of social protection systems and public services; allowing insecurity of employment terms and conditions, and wages and making the jobless guilty for not working and for social exclusion.
Overview/Archives
We are convinced that there will never be any respect for basic Rights without a redistribution of wealth. The best way to achieve this is to organise massive mobilisation of European citizens in co-ordinated demonstrations. We, the unemployed associations in the struggle against exclusion, and trade unions declare open war on unemployment, job insecurity and social exclusion.
Objectives:
Mobilise throughout Europe the unemployed,those on short-term contracts, the salaried and all those people ready to fight with us to change European public opinion to force political and economic decision makers to carry out concrete and radical measures.
Important dates in the year 2000:
The Portuguese European presidency period in the first six months. Then the French presidency in the second part of the year culminating in the EU summit in Nice,7 and 8 December 2000, that concludes the series of intergovernmental conferences.
Calendar of battles:
23 March: |
European Day of Action for an immediate increase of all minimum social benefits in Europe to coincide with the meeting of the European Council in Lisbon. (The Blair summit on social policy). |
9-10-11 june: |
Initiatives at the same time as the European bosses hold their summit in Brussels. |
20-21 June: |
Demonstrations and initiatives at the same time as the Portuguese EU summit in Santa Maria da Ferira near Porto. | 13-14 October: |
Initiatives to coincide with the EU intergovernmental conference in Paris. |
14 October: |
in Brussels, participation in the European demonstration of the World March of Women 2000. |
2-3-4 December: |
in Paris, the European Assembly of the unemployed and short-term contract workers in the struggle. |
7-8 December: |
in Nice, a siege of the EU summit by an invasion of a huge mass of people as big as Amsterdam or Cologne and similar to the demonstrations that halted the OMC conference in Seattle. |
Our demands:
To make the EU take note of the demands of the movements engaged in the fight against unemployment and social exclusion as set out in the Charter for Social and Basic European Rights, (see below). Also, without further delay, extend and raise immediately and significantly, minimum benefits and incomes of the unemployed throughout Europe.
For a democratic Europe, open and supportive, that respects the environment, that is without discrimination, racism, national chauvinism or frontiers, and where there are equal civic and political rights for all inhabitants regardless of origins.