The first meeting of creditors of Kremikovtzi will be held today in Sofia. It is convened in connection with the decision of the Sofia City Court in early August,in which the plant was declared in insolvency. It is expected the meeting to be specified any claims to the plant, and will be ranking lodge claims and they will be categorized. After the election of a permanent insolvency will determine which of the claims are legitimate and whether adopted in face amount.

As the economic crisis intensifies across Europe and anxiety about the future of employment rises, working people are expressing their anger at the prevailing EU settlement which prioritises the needs of business and capital over those of labour. The scenes witnessed at Total’s Lindsey refinery in Lincolnshire and across the UK at energy and construction sites should be seen in this context. They are an expression of workers’ desire for employment near their own homes. Yet at the same time such episodes carry the danger of setting workers against each other and creating a climate of xenophobia which all trade unionists must unite to resist. Instead, unions must fight for a new settlement across Europe which meets the crisis in the interests of workers rather than corporations, and prioritises measures which underpin employment, union organisation and secure pay and conditions. The true causes of this social malaise must be tackled. Urgent investigations are needed into the use of subcontracting chains to undermine social regulation, organised local workforces and agreed terms and conditions in our industries. The alleged use of exclusion clauses against local workers must be tackled. The 1996 Posting of Workers Directive was intended to counterbalance the free movement of services in the EU in the sense that the Directive laid down a “host country principle”, securing posted workers at least minimum working conditions in the host country. After the rulings in 2007 and 2008 by the European Court of Justice – the Viking, Laval, Rüffert and Luxembourg cases – the Directive has been turned on its head, and Member States and trade unions are no longer entitled to enforce working conditions for posted workers above a minimum level. The fundamental principle of equal pay for equal work has been replaced by a principle of minimum pay for equal work. In the context of the ECJ judgements, unions cannot defend workers’ rights without the threat of litigation, even where there is legitimate cause. Companies have all the cards in their hands to set worker against worker. This is an unsustainable imbalance of power which will fuel social unrest if maintained. The European project is increasingly being called into question by workers finding themselves victims of the internal market and social competition. These demonstrations of frustration demand political responsibility, especially in the context of this year’s EP elections. Together, the EMF, EMCEF and EFBWW wholly condemn the exploitation of this very sensitive situation by those intent on creating division and fuelling xenophobia. At this time we need solidarity between workers and more social European integration as a means to fight any potential withdrawal into nationalistic populism. We call on employers and responsible politicians at national and EU levels to address the situation as quickly as possible by: · Urgently answering the calls of Commissioner Vladimír Špidla and the French, Czech and Swedish Presidencies for a common analysis and concrete proposals on the mobility of workers by the social partners. · Redressing the imbalance created by the recent ECJ cases between fundamental worker rights and internal market freedoms by revising the Posting of Workers Directive and restoring the Directive into a minimum Directive allowing for a higher protection of workers, and by introducing a European Social Progress Protocol into the new Treaty. · Addressing indirect discrimination against local workers and prohibiting the use of explicit exclusions of local workers from sub-contracting companies. · Developing a stronger regulatory framework on corporate social responsibility and the social aspects of public and private procurement and outsourcing.

The event, jointly organised by the EMF and IMF and held on 18th March 2009, was hosted by IG Metall in Frankfurt. “Women’s precarious work and its impact on families and communities” was the theme for the event. Affiliated organisations of both the EMF and the IMF participated in the event, which took the form of a workshop; the focus was on discussions and exchanging experiences rather than on individual presentations. The economic crisis In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in precarious work in all countries in Europe and throughout the world, with growing social consequences. Not only is there a persistently high rate of unemployment in many EU Member States, but there is also an erosion of what are classified as the ‘normal’, ‘standard’ or ‘typical’ forms of employment, which undoubtedly decreases the chances for employees to obtain decent work. In a context of rapidly changing circumstances, these ‘precarious workers’ are the first victims of the system and of the current economic crisis. Undisputedly, at the onset of economic recovery, precarious jobs will also be amongst the first to be offered again and quite possibly with even worse conditions then the ones we know today. It is now clear that the ongoing economic crisis is having a severe impact on women. In Japan, 70% of precarious workers are women; they have borne the brunt of a financial crisis where the first jobs to be cut are those held by women, that is to say temporary and contract jobs. The effects of the crisis are of historic proportions. It is affecting workers across sectors and across society. It will undo social progress made in the last few years, and undo progress in gender equality and increase poverty all over the world. Many metalworking unions are taking steps to support workers at this time. IG Metall has launched an action plan with a special emphasis on women’s conditions, including an extended protection plan with co-decision power in the workplace, empowering them with greater economic democracy. Increased cooperation between the EMF affiliates is called for, and a position paper on the economic crisis and the trade union response is currently underway and should be approved by June 2009. Precarious work is, in general, more prevalent among women. The statistics have been telling the same story for decades; no improvements have been made. One of the different forms of work the term “precarious work” encompasses is involuntary part-time work. Working hours under part-time work are decreasing gradually, and there is no access to training. Undeclared over-time is also common along with so called ‘mini-jobs’, i.e. jobs of limited hours, with a 75% participation rate for women. Workers in these conditions are intimidated by the fact that they can easily be replaced and basically no flexibility exists such as sick-leave, holiday and time off. The increase in the numbers of women in low-paid, insecure jobs is contributing to the widening of the gender pay gap, with grave consequences for the lives of women and their families. Strategies should be in place to prevent these forms of employment and to support the women who are currently in precarious work. In addition, women need support to organise themselves, and an exchange of experiences is required between trade unions to further develop support plans. Campaigns In 2008 and 2009 several actions have taken place against precarious work. These actions have been conducted on a local, regional, national, European and international level. IG Metall has launched a campaign called “Gleiche Arbeit, Gleiches Geld” (Equal Work, Equal Pay). The aim of this campaign is to ensure that temporary workers receive the same pay as ‘normally’ employed workers from day one. On average, temporary workers are being paid around 20% to 40% less than workers on a ‘standard work’ contract performing the same job. They also have less holiday entitlement and uncertain future perspectives. Poor working conditions for temporary workers lower the social conditions for all workers. The EMF and IMF have also run campaigns individually and jointly, culminating in the World Action Day on 7th October 2008, and will continue to campaign as a permanent part of their work. The websites http://www.precariouswork.eu and www.imfmetal.org/precariouswork were used to coordinate these actions and to make all campaigns of affiliated organisations visible, as well as to provide an opportunity for individual workers to tell their stories about precarious work. The EMF has taken an important step in their bid to increase the coordination of national collective bargaining policies by promoting the principle of establishing European-wide common demands. The idea behind this is to highlight one major issue within the collective bargaining rounds in all of the European countries. The ‘EMF Second Common Demand’, launched in 2009, is focusing on precarious work. The IMF puts forward demands in three areas; industrial, legal-political and international matters. The IMF has also conducted a survey among its members where 90% stated that precarious work had increased. The electronics and auto sectors are most affected and, in general, there is a shift to agency work with less job security and lower wages. Women, migrant workers and young workers are overrepresented in precarious work. Key demands in EMF and IMF campaigns include direct hiring and restrictions on agency work. It is, however, understood that resorting to agencies for cases of legitimate need can be expected, for example hiring workers with special knowledge for a specific task, or for projects of limited duration. The campaigns aim more at fighting against situations where indirect hiring is used instead of direct hiring in order to deny workers their rights. It is necessary to show national governments, the European institutions and the international community why precarious work is bad not only for an individual, but for society as a whole. Campaigning needs to continue on all levels to reach that aim. Women’s participation in campaigns is essential in order to raise awareness of the special impact that precarious work has on women in particular. Targeted action focusing on the pay gap and on minimum wages, and also incorporating these issues into as many political campaigns as possible, can further strengthen the position of women. Cooperation between countries and across sectors may also provide support. Projects A survey on atypical work was conducted in medium-sized towns in Germany with a special focus on national east-west perspectives. The survey concentrated on the importance of women’s income in the family. In 20% of the households where interviews were conducted, women were the breadwinners, either in single-parent households or where the partner was unemployed or low-paid. Unpaid over-time and on-call time often make living conditions more precarious and has an impact on family life as a whole. It becomes difficult to plan for the future and the difficulties in reconciling work with family life bring problems in relationships and in the work division at home. It can impact on health, contribute to violence in the home and also force independence on children. A national research questionnaire was sent to all metalworkers in Italy and with over 100.000 individuals answering, the questionnaire results must be considered unprecedented and consequently an excellent source for real statistics and further development of trade union policy response and actions. 20.000 of the answers came from women, 50% of whom reported they were precariously employed. Most of them were employed in the white goods sector with a low salary and low skill levels. 35% of migrant women are precariously employed, none are found in white collar positions. Migrants who lose their job, lose their right to stay in Italy, thus making them easy targets for these forms of work. 45% of women under the age of 25 have precarious contracts and the period of precarious work is longer for women than for men. The contracts are short-term, but renewed many times. The impact of these conditions has been shown to reduce the possibility of having children, wages are lower, there is little or no holiday entitlement and no days off for private needs, such as doctor’s visits. Sick leave is often not used, with health deterioration as a direct consequence. Insecure jobs put workers at risk and create fear, multiplying the psychological stress factor which can worsen health problems. In Switzerland, many women fail to qualify for social insurances as they may have several jobs; the combined working hours are insufficient to give them access to social protection. What can trade unions do? • The understanding of women’s issues needs to be improved in the metalworking unions. Increased awareness among male colleagues and more policy work is necessary. More women should also be brought into trade union decision-making structures to facilitate changes in attitudes and priorities. Further monitoring and strengthening of the trade union approach is necessary to decrease the number of precarious jobs. • Unions must put an emphasis on women’s needs in collective bargaining negotiations with a focus on equal pay, predictable working hours and well-paid, secure, part-time work. • Solidarity and best practice exchange among trade unions should also be facilitated. Allies should be sought among trade unions in others sectors as well as among NGOs where women’s issues generally have a stronger profile.