We are Europe! Our programme to regain our rights

We are Europe! Our programme to regain our rights

"Everything starts with a dream"
Fidel Castro, 1926-2016

1. We met thanks to the Alter Summit: more than 150 women and men coming from more than 15 countries, with different backgrounds. We got to know each other, exchanged information, debated as comrades.

2. We measured the diversity of our struggles: levels, forms of struggles, protagonists... Our responsibility is to benefit from this diversity: our complementarities as well as our discrepancies. This is difficult but also profitable; our task is to work towards convergence.

3. These fruitful debates only have meaning if there is continuity – this is why we are proposing below a programme of work, debates and meetings.

4. First, we declare that We are Europe: Europe is neither the EU, nor multinational corporations, nor the 1% who took the control of our lives. The Europe we want will be built by the grassroots and struggles: by women, migrants with or without legal status, workers, the unemployed, farmers, young people, and all those who reject this society of domination.

5. We declare that our fundamental and social rights cannot be put into question by any treaty and that if it does, we will disobey it.

6. We will carry out our struggles everywhere: in the workplace, in the streets and neighbourhoods, and in whole regions. We will state clearly and loudly our political priorities. On the basis of our concrete proposals and demands, we encourage all MEPs and political groups to support our positions.

7. We have to face several challenges:
Austerity in Europe causes multiple crises (unemployment, precarity); climate crisis is worsening. The European Union refuses to accept migrants and refugees, builds walls which leave thousands of people to drown in the Mediterranean and signs disgraceful agreements in order to deport as many persons as possible – instead of guaranteeing freedom of movement and residence for all. The European Union is becoming more and more militarised. The extreme right wing is not only on the rise, but is even taking power in several countries.

In response to this situation, we have, with others, one responsibility: to build a popular message clearly opposed to capitalist globalisation (banks, multinationals, EU), but on a democratic, internationalist, anti-racist, feminist, environmentalist and pacifist basis. We are committed to equality, to civil liberties, to the right of collective bargaining and union action - against the repression of unionists and activists. The first step consists in formulating a clear message; the second step will be to build a large campaign which brings us all together.

8. In the heart of this message is the assertion of
SOCIAL RIGHTS FOR ALL (universality of rights):
Employment, income, housing, social security, health, education, etc.
For everyone who lives or works in Europe
But also, beyond that, for everyone in the world – against neo-colonialism, imperialism and militarism: Europe is not the centre of the world.

9. Secondly, behind this message, we must express precise common demands: reduction of working hours, a minimum wage, the struggle against privatisation, the struggle against social dumping, equal treatment of migrants and citizens, public education and health not subject to market mechanisms...
We must take the time to define our priorities in this area and search for convergences with other networks and organisations.

10. The campaigns against TTIP, TISA and CETA and the Climate Movement are the basis for a popular, unified coalition. We must extend and deepen the political message.

11. We will publish and discuss the reports of the working groups. At this stage, the working groups which prepared the conference decide to continue their work.

1. Ecological transition:
defending a fair and democratic transition, instead of a transition to green capitalism and rejecting the privatisation of energy, transportation, etc.
establishing a common space for open and free discussion between unions and other associations and activists (meeting in connection with COP23, November 2017)

2. Resistance 2.0.:
deconstructing the neoliberal discourse
elaborating demands/positions on changes in the world of work and to encourage resistance (another meeting in the context of G20 mobilisations)
promoting a unionism for "all workers"

3. Commons & public services:
deepening the debate over commons and public services
defending and strengthening/democratising public services — health, energy, transport, etc.— against financialisation and privatisation
consolidating the statute of public agent
identifying the attacks of our governments against public services

4. Unity:
proposing a large "Rights4All" campaign
publishing a directory of the rich and varied struggles which are already taking place along the lines of R4A (diversity of goals, forms, struggles, etc.) and which can be strengthened.

5. Migrants and unions:
importance of linking union work and movements for migrants’ rights
another meeting in February, with more European actors

12. Calendar

We will publish the reports by the end of December.
A working meeting of the Alter Summit will take place in February or March.
We will take advantage of several dates of mobilisation to make progress:
16 December 2016: International Migrants Day
13-14 January 2017: Africa-France Summit at Bamako
8 March: International Women’s Day
18 March: actions against the EU-Turkey agreement
21 March: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
3 April: Global day of action on tax havens (see decision at the MSF at Montreal)
7 April: World Health Day
May Day
23 June: Public Service Day
5-8 July: G20 summit meeting at Hamburg - counter-summit, actions, demonstration
…
All these dates are important. The work of the groups will help define priorities.

The meeting also supports a motion in solidarity with the Greek people in their struggle for the implementation of collective agreements.

Appendices (for the debate)
 Motion proposed by Europe Neu Begründen
 French Trade unions declaration about the situation in Turkey (in FR)

You will find the documents related to the different interventions on the website of the conference :
http://www.altersummit.eu/mobilisation/article/program-rights4all-now

More informations: info@altersummit.eu