WE WANT GOOD PUBLIC SERVICES – WE SAY NO TO BOLKESTEIN DIRECTIVE ! (10.1.2006)

Leftist organizations from all over Europe organized a demonstration against the privatization of welfare services. Jyväskylä 5th January 2006.

Many public services are essential, and define the quality of life. Infrastructures for basic human needs including for example health care, education, water and energy supply, social services, postal services, and environmental and waste management must be under democratic public control. They should not be part of capitalist markets which only object is to make as big profit as possible. The Bolkestein directive would cause massive privatization to many of these important services.

Before the referendums of European constitution, many governments in European countries gave impression that they will not accept this directive. Now, not even one year after that, there has been a strong political majority, consisting of neoliberal forces from conservatives to social democrats which try to force the directive ahead in European parliament.

This law is aimed at areas with a high concentration of labour. It’s clear where the economical benefits of this massive privatization are founded – from workers rights, tax competition, working conditions and wages. The draft says that providers will be subject only to the laws and conditions applying in the country where they are based. This would force organizations to relocate to member states with lower standards, and would spur a downward spiral in working conditions. This would also be bad for people from countries with lower standards, since it will do nothing to raise wages and working conditions in these countries to meet EU average levels.

In March 2005 there was a big demonstration against this directive. This demonstration forced neoliberal forces to back up with their demands. Now the neoliberals are attacking again, and we’ll have to raise our voice again for social Europe!

Pieksämäki, Finland, 10 th of January 2006

Left Block, Portugal
Left Youth of Finland
Freedom and Solidarity Party, Turkey
Socialistic Peoples Party Youth, Denmark
Solid, Germany
Republican Youth, Faroe Islands
Union of Communist Youth of Moldova
Young Democrats / Young Left, Germany
Young Green Left, Iceland
Young Socialists, Macedonia
Young Socialists, Poland
Youth of Synaspismos, Greece