Nieuws van de afdeling

24 October 2009

Liberalisation of the post leads to nineteenth century working conditions

With postal workers in the United Kingdom entering what is widely expected to be the most bitter industrial dispute since the Miners' Strike of 1984-5, their colleagues in the Netherlands face similar problems. Given that the drive for liberalisation which lies behind the disputes comes from Brussels, this is hardly surprising. In both countries and other European Union member states, the liberalisation of postal services is leading to working conditions akin to those of a century ago or worse. SP Member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen reacted to the announcement that postal delivery workers at Dutch national carrier TNT, majority ownership of which is now in private hands, must choose between pay cuts and mass dismissals by describing the ultimatum as offering a false choice. "TNT is degrading postal workers from human beings to 'costs'. The workers have complained that they are being hounded out of their jobs or forced to work unpaid overtime."

22 October 2009

Europe must act to halt Third World deforestation

SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard took the opportunity of a European Parliament debate on the forthcoming Copenhagen climate conference to draw attention to the results of extreme deforestation. “The consequences for the climate as well as the social consequences in developing countries are often still given too little exposure in the climate debate. We must do all in our power to counter it," said Liotard.

20 October 2009

'No consultation without action'

"If concrete points can be achieved, we'll stay. If it appears to be a talking shop, then there's nothing in it for us." So says Dennis de Jong, leader of the SP delegation in the European Parliament in relation to the 'Oranjeberaad', an informal consultative body which all Dutch MEPs are invited to attend.

17 October 2009

EU membership for Croatia out of the question

The accession of Croatia to the European Union in 2010 is simply not feasible, according to SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel. Van Bommel, reacting to the recent 'enlargement reports' produced by the European Commission, said "Croatia is even more corrupt than Bulgaria and Romania, which are still trying to meet the demands of membership. Shouldn't this be a case of 'once bitten, twice shy'? Instead of offering false hopes, the EU should be patient, and put its energy into aiding the fight against corruption."

17 October 2009

No blank cheques for dubious regimes

Two weeks ago the junta in the West African state of Guinea was responsible for a veritable bloodbath. According to human rights organisations, at least 157 people lost their lives, while a further 1250, including a number of prominent opposition leaders, were wounded. Eye witnesses report that soldiers moved into the suburbs of the Guinean capital of Conakry, looting shops and houses and raping women en masse.

15 October 2009

Too much interference from Europe in Dutch criminal law

The influence of the European Union on Dutch criminal law is growing ever greater, according to Arda Gerkens, Member of Parliament for the SP. Gerkens is calling on the Minister of Justice to take a more critical stance in relation to EU with a direct bearing on the country's criminal law. “The SP is in favour of European cooperation in dealing with cross-border criminality," says Gerkens. "The EU should not, however, prescribe what is or is not a criminal act, or the extent of the punishment which any such act should attract. That is a national responsibility."

International