International

Yesterday in Amersfoort I addressed a large number of critical trade unionists at a meeting of Solidair, the network of union activists who are also members or supporters of the SP. A militant trade union movement is needed in the Netherlands now that the Rutte government has launched an attack on working people on all fronts. My role is to show people that this government and its right-wing chums use ‘Brussels’ as a vehicle for their neoliberal policies and, together with people from the trade union movement, ensure that we step up the pressure on Rutte not to put his name to the package of proposals on European Economic Governance due to be signed by heads of EU government that day. The implementation of these proposals would, in the space of a few years, make neoliberal policies obligatory for all Eurozone countries. Fortunately, many of those in attendance were prepared to put their backs into the task of making this the unions’ number one priority.

On my way back to Rotterdam on the train I spoke with one of the SP members who had participated in the meeting. “You really shocked me, you know,” she told me. “I knew that what was going on in Brussels was bad, but I didn’t think it was that bad.” This is typical of what happens when important decisions are to be taken in Brussels: people are deliberately misinformed and sometimes simply fobbed off. This was true of the introduction of the euro, it happened with the EU Constitution, and it’s happening again. Rutte is misleading us all when he says that no powers will be transferred and that the agreements on European Economic Governance only apply to countries of the Mediterranean, and Ireland. That’s simply not true: agreements on, for example, wages and on spending cuts will be just as tough in the Netherlands. If Rutte puts his name to them, this will speak for itself. No wonder Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager is already speaking in terms of ‘the beast with teeth and claws”. Billions in fines if you don’t fulfil the neoliberal prescriptions? Is that not a transfer of powers? It would have been more statesmanlike of Rutte had he spoken honestly of this, so that everyone would at least have known what Brussels was planning. But no, he once again preferred the tried and tested method of lying to people, so that they would only know what was going on when it was too late.

The Dutch and European trade union movements have sent a letter to national and European politicians warning them against the proposals on Economic Governance. I’m worried however, that such letters on their own will not do the trick. The unions will need the SP to add our force to their demands. We still have a few weeks, and I’m proposing that we hold another meeting in June with both rank-and-file trade unionists and union leaders, a still bigger meeting than last weekend’s, one which would be given wider publicity. Working people and the broad public need to know that they have been misled by Rutte and respond by putting pressure on both the government and the Dutch Parliament. We must not give Rutte the chance to bargain away our social rights and public provision at the European Council on 24th June. It’s time for action!