Making the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union a legal instrument offers the best prospect of advancing rights for employees and building the social economy
Issued : Monday 26 May, 2008
Statement by Michael D Higgins TD
Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs
Urging a YES vote in the forthcoming referendum, Michael D. Higgins Labour Party President and Dail Deputy for Galway West said that passing the Lisbon Treaty offered the best prospects for advancing rights in the European Union.
Deputy Higgins said: "Should the Treaty be defeated we are left with the Nice Treaty and voters have to compare the prospects of making an advance in those circumstances with the much more enhanced prospects should the Lisbon Treaty be passed.
"After the referendum the battle for a social economy will still be there, but the European Trade Union Confederation have been strongly of the opinion that the Lisbon Treaty must be passed.
"The general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, John Monks, has written to David Begg of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Proinnsias De Rossa, MEP stating:
'We want the Lisbon Treaty adopted quickly by member states with the introduction of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights with its workers rights made legally binding. This would have helped with recent cases. We also want, additionally and separately, a social progress clause to reinforce our efforts to combat the effects of the Viking, Laval and Rueffert cases. This would be a complimentary, separate measure to the new Treaty, not a part of it. To reopen the Treaty at this stage is neither practical nor desirable.'
"If the Lisbon Treaty had been in place when recent cases were heard by the European Court of Justice it would have helped in that part of the decisions that went against trade unions. However, even those decisions stated that the right to collective representation was a fundamental right", he continued
"Making the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union a legal instrument offers the best prospect of advancing Rights for Employees and building the Social Economy.
"Be it in terms of issues of equality, environmental protection, climate change, elimination of poverty or rights based development policies, the space created by passing the Lisbon Treaty of the European Union offers the best prospect for our citizens".