Workers and their unions across Europe are leading the push to address the cost-of-living crisis. Prices are skyrocketing while salaries are being suppressed. Unions affiliated with UNI are responding by taking action for a fairer distribution of the burden, and of the rewards.<\/p>\r\n
Mass mobilisations<\/strong><\/p>\r\n On Saturday 25 June, union members will be in the streets of London for the TUC\u2019s Demand Better<\/a> rally. Unite<\/a>, CWU<\/a> and PCS<\/a> are all mobilising for what promises to be a huge demonstration.<\/p>\r\n \u201cThe cost-of-living emergency is the result of political choices made in Downing Street. Of course, it\u2019s hard for government to control global energy prices \u2013 but austerity, benefit cuts and attacks on unions have held our living standards back. Even now, with <\/em>City bonuses rising six times faster than wages,<\/em><\/a> ministers are choosing to tax working people rather than wealth.\u201d \u2013 Frances O\u2019Grady, General Secretary of the TUC.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n On the same day, union members in Ireland will be in the streets of Dublin for the Cost-of-Living Protest. Siptu<\/a>, Mandate<\/a> and CWU<\/a> are backing the march and calling for government action to control prices, protect incomes and share the wealth.<\/p>\r\n In Belgium, a mass national demonstration is taking place in the capital on Monday. The trade union movement (see the CSC<\/a>, FGTB<\/a> and CGSLB<\/a> webpages) will take to the streets of Brussels as one to call for an end to a law that suppresses wage increases. The law puts a limit on how much salaries can increase by, undermining the collective power of workers to negotiate better salaries in a time of price escalation. The UNI Europa secretariat will be present at the demonstration.<\/p>\r\n Following the money<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Unions are repeatedly highlighting that corporate greed is exacerbating the hike in prices. By hiking prices above costs, many market-dominant multinational companies are continuing to register high profits for their top management and shareholders.<\/p>\r\n In the Netherlands, FNV produced a report<\/a> showing that multinational shareholder profit has risen by over 500% in the past 20 years while money allocated to workers only rose by 50% in the same time. In Belgium, unions have been highlighting<\/a> the hypocrisy of employers\u2019 attempts to foil worker salary increases while in the meantime CEO income rose by 14% in 2021 alone.<\/p>\r\n In Austria, both GPA<\/a> and Vida<\/a> have a similar analysis and are calling for additional measures to alleviate impacts on working people.<\/p>\r\n \u201cDespite the crisis, the super-rich have become even richer, as the most recent data and studies show in unison. A millionaire tax is inevitable. The reintroduction of inheritance tax in connection with inflation has also recently led WIFO to the meeting. We will continue to apply pressure on this issue as well,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n \u2013 Barbara Teiber, General Secretary of GPA.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n Unite’s ‘profiteering report’ has uncovered the corporations who have profited from the crisis. It\u2019s not workers who are pushing up inflation; it\u2019s often their employers. \r\n
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\r\nWorkers should not be the ones who pay for it!https:\/\/t.co\/MshxbLlW3J<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\u2014 Sharon Graham (@UniteSharon) June 17, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n