Supplementary memorandum submitted by GMB (GLOB20D)

GMB in Europe

· GMB is currently the only British trade union with an office in Brussels (since 1993). The office has a multilingual staff, and facilities for meetings.

· The office is located at the heart of the major decision making centre in Brussels, and regularly hosts meetings of trade unionists from GMB and unions across Europe, with government officials and politicians, and with NGO organisations.

· GMB also has a well established branch in Brussels, representing members who work for EU institutions, local government, representative offices and NGO organisations. It is tied to GMB Southern Region.

Why are we active in Europe?

· GMB is a campaigning organisation. Our members are increasingly affected by globalisation, and European and International level decision-making. To fully promote and protect the rights and opportunities of our members, we need to actively represent them at national, European and International level.

· Over the years, workers in Britain and across Europe have benefited from a raft of social and employment rights from Europe on Health and Safety, Equal Pay and Equal Treatment, Part-Time and Fixed-Term Workers rights, TUPE (transfer of undertakings protection of employees), protection in Collective redundancies, and Information and consultation rights at European and national level.

· GMB has worked to shape these laws and policies, to provide the maximum benefits and protection possible for our members and their families.

· Currently the European Social Model is under threat, as governments see labour market flexibility as the only way for Europe to be competitive.

· As a result, the flow of social and employment rights and protections appears to be drying up, with positive proposals such as Temporary agency work under risk of being withdrawn, and some member states (including Britain) attempting to water down vital protections under Working time rules.

· At the same time, a wave of liberalising, deregulatory proposals such as the Services Directive, and the Port Services Directive appear to be the flavour of the month for many governments and elements of the Commission.

· Our role as trade unionists in Europe is equally as important in defending our members against liberalisation and deregulation policies, as it is in securing positive workplace rights and priorities.

GMB is at the forefront of the European trade union campaign to balance the social and economic dimensions of Europe, and ensure a future for our European Social Model, which remains Europe's proudest and most popular achievement.

Using our influence in Europe

· GMB has an active European Parliamentary group (currently Stephen Hughes (Convenor), Richard Corbett (Chair), Glenys Kinnock, Robert Evans, David Martin, Gary Titley and Glenis Willmott). The group meets on average bi-monthly.

· Our GMB MEP group holds Convenor and Chair link meetings with their GMB Westminster group counterparts to strengthen our ability to influence European legislation at both EU and national level.

· As a general trade union, GMB is affiliated to 8 European/ International industry federations, through which we work together with EU and global unions to protect our members across all of our sectors and join in solidarity to respond to increasingly ruthless globalisation. These federations are also affiliated to the European TUC.

· Through its affiliation to the TUC, GMB is also affiliated to the ETUC and has held a TUC seat on its' Executive.

· GMB has approximately 165 members on the European Works Councils (EWC) of some 90 multinational companies.

Supporting GMB members in Europe

· Using all of the above channels, GMB has been very successful in influencing European legislation and campaigning for better rights and protection for our members.

· GMB has been successful in gaining European funding for several transnational projects involving unions in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain and Sweden, and Poland covering issues such as skills development, flexible work organisation, systems of quality management in the workplace, and combating domestic violence.

· The European office researches and influences European laws and initiatives to protect and benefit our members and their families, providing them with greater rights protections and opportunities in their work and lives.

· The office provides support and assistance to our members and officers across all regions and sectors. We also help support an increasing number of EWC representatives in their important work.

· Increasingly, the European office supports comparative work with our trade union brothers and sisters across Europe in key companies we are targeting for recognition, or where we are seeking to improve collective agreements and conditions. Often we will find that a company that is resisting recognition in Britain has strong trade union structures in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. We use this as a lever to support our claim for recognition, and often receive solidarity action from our trade union comrades in this process by raising the issue on their national works councils.

12 April 2007