Work, Bread, Democracy
Work – bread – democracy!
This was the calling slogan of the May 1st demonstration in Budapest. We went on
the street in 2013, in a member country of the European Union.
In the “Social Europe”. Trade unions and called for what the workers movement has
stood for two centuries. Shameful, that in the “developed” part of the world, in the
Social Europe these three basics are still to be fought for.
We are confronted by shocking figures of unemployment, the increasing poverty and
the spreading of undemocratic policies.
In many countries workers, wage and salary earners, pensioners are subject to
policies which serve the profit interests, the interests of the economically strong.
I come from a country where these all apply. Where the excessive power has
deconstructed the checks and balances of democracy,
where nearly one third of the population live in poverty, where every sixth person live
in deep poverty, where social exclusion is an everyday fact, where young people
become marginalised.
What do we need to do?
Work
“Self-controlling market economy is an utopia” told Karl Polanyi, Hungarian
social philosopher; “Austerity has reached its limits” says president Barroso;
One can say that austerity is no more than a mantra without meaning.
We need democratically elaborated and executed policies, democratically controlled
economic governance – we need a Europe where the decisions reflect the will of the
citizens!
Bread
The deepening and widening of poverty has become widespread in Europe.
We must look around to see that in the periphery countries large groups of the
societies struggle for everyday survival, for giving and having bread of their families.
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It is an issue of new quality: more and more fall in the category of “working poor”.
Isn’t it absurdity that a full time, regular work can not secure the mere survival?
We must shout loud: enough of this! We demand fair share of the produced goods!
We want decent wages to secure decent living!
Democracy
We know by experience that a stable society, based on common values, require
living democracy in all fields. We need democracy in the economy and social field, in
politics, in the running of the society.
It requires:
-
decent minimum social standards
decent minimum wages – with full respect to collective bargaining
-
fair, just taxation system
practice of social dialogue at all levels
trade union rights
We, trade unions have two key instruments: negotiation / bargaining; or mobilisation.
We want to reach our goals at the negotiating table – to this we need the democratic
mechanisms, tools – and partners.
We want partnership for the interest of the whole of the society.
We experience a growing discontent how things go and are managed by those in
power; we experience a deepening gap between the people and the ones who claim
to be elected by the majority.
No wonder that extremism and populism is gaining momentum and the conservative,
right wing power is playing on similar tunes and misuse it.
We should be deeply worried by the anti-European backlash – however
understandable it might be.
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We must not let any social race to the bottom – the answer is a united, democratic
Europe in the globalised world.
Károly György, Hungary
2013. June 7. Altersummit - Athens
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