In Brussels riots and demonstrations against austerity measures and social dumping
by Emiliano Biaggio
Social tension and riots. Brussels has been transformed in a urban battlefield for almost one hour, with demonstrators fighting against police in front of the European Commission headquarters at the end of the "Euro demonstration" called by ETUC to say stop to the EU austerity measures. What happened today in the capital city of the European Union shows how deep is this crisis, but is also shows that something was wrong in Europe if protesters criticized the free movement for workers within the EU, one of the pillar at the basis of the European structure. One of the reason behind the demonstration as well as behind the social conflict across Europe there's the fight for a job place put at risk by eastern European. Asked about the "Euro demonstration", a person from the parade stated that «we are here to protest against the European Union and its policies which allow people coming from the Czech Republic and from Romania to come in our country and get a job at lower wages, and for us it means to loose our job». That is what is called "social dumping", that practice of employers to use cheaper labour force rather than what is usually available at their site of production. It means migrant workers are employed instead of national workers, cause the latter are most expansive in terms of wages and social protection while migrants are more available to earn less.
This phenomenon is something well known in Europe: only the 31st of December 2013 United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Malta and the Netherlands removed those clauses limiting access to their national labour market to workers from Bulgaria and Romania. In the United Kingdom the Tories wanted to maintain those restrictions, making clear eastern European citizens are seen as a problem by British. This feeling is now shared among all workers across Europe, as ETUC protesters clearly showed in Brussels today. The problem is riots were the expression of a economic crisis turned into a social crisis, with fights within poors. Despite the violence the decision makers have to understand and keep in mind the situation is going to explode if nothing is going to change in a sustainable manner.
Social tension and riots. Brussels has been transformed in a urban battlefield for almost one hour, with demonstrators fighting against police in front of the European Commission headquarters at the end of the "Euro demonstration" called by ETUC to say stop to the EU austerity measures. What happened today in the capital city of the European Union shows how deep is this crisis, but is also shows that something was wrong in Europe if protesters criticized the free movement for workers within the EU, one of the pillar at the basis of the European structure. One of the reason behind the demonstration as well as behind the social conflict across Europe there's the fight for a job place put at risk by eastern European. Asked about the "Euro demonstration", a person from the parade stated that «we are here to protest against the European Union and its policies which allow people coming from the Czech Republic and from Romania to come in our country and get a job at lower wages, and for us it means to loose our job». That is what is called "social dumping", that practice of employers to use cheaper labour force rather than what is usually available at their site of production. It means migrant workers are employed instead of national workers, cause the latter are most expansive in terms of wages and social protection while migrants are more available to earn less.
This phenomenon is something well known in Europe: only the 31st of December 2013 United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Malta and the Netherlands removed those clauses limiting access to their national labour market to workers from Bulgaria and Romania. In the United Kingdom the Tories wanted to maintain those restrictions, making clear eastern European citizens are seen as a problem by British. This feeling is now shared among all workers across Europe, as ETUC protesters clearly showed in Brussels today. The problem is riots were the expression of a economic crisis turned into a social crisis, with fights within poors. Despite the violence the decision makers have to understand and keep in mind the situation is going to explode if nothing is going to change in a sustainable manner.
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