LATE LAST month the Intergovernmental conference took place in Florence and European heads of state came together to try to push forward the implementation of the Maastricht treaty. The fact drive for the convergence criteria is fraught with difficulty and this has meant that attempts to drive down public spending to the level of 3% of GDP have become more and more ferocious At the same time, in rather less plush surroundings, 24 delegates representing various trade unions and unemployed groups from most European countries came together to plan a Europe-wide campaign against unemployment and in defence of welfare provision.
Marches from across the continent will converge in Amsterdam in June 1997 to confront the final session of the intergovernmental conference. Over the last year, the discontent against the EC governments has been growing. Belgium was rocked by the first general strike since the 1930s against austerity cuts and French workers organised mass strikes last winter In Germany, government cuts of 22 billion resulted in strikes and the 35,000 workers marched in the biggest demonstration seen in Germany since World War Two. The Euro march is a wonderful opportunity to link up those involved in these actions and to galvanise the working class across curope In the run up to the Florence meet ing, an initial appeal had been drawn up signed by prominent trade unionists across Europe. The appeal was endorsed in Florence. Maximum support now needs to be built for it at all levels of the labour and trade union movement. This will involve challenging those in New Labour and in the leaderships of the unions who support monetary union and who try to con working people that this will be in their interests.
British involvement in the campaign has got off to a good start. Glen Vorris attended the meeting on behalf of the Liverpool Dockers and the Welfare State Network and brought a message of support from the Merseyside Association of TUCs.
Linda Tuberville from South Wales represented the National Unemrepresented une Nauona onen ployed Centres combine, Wales Campaign against Unemployment and the European Network of the Unemployed.
Plans are afoot to organise an initial meeting in late summer of all interested organisations in Britain to discuss how to take the campaign forward here. A delegation of French trade unionists will participate in The Defend the Welfare State national march from Hull to Blackpool in October to build the Euro March and the official launch of the british campaign will take place at the final rally at Labour Party Conference.
While the political parameters for the campaign seem pretty clear, organisational details will require a sober assessment of the real resources available. Under the current proposals, the longest march would take 2 months covering approx 1500 km. The various marches would start from Gibraltar. Palermo. Athens. Istan. bul, Kiev, Murmansk, Narvik (Norway) and Aberdeen, and would finally converge in Amsterdam on 27 June 1997.
Marching from the furthest reaches of Europe is doubtless a worthy ambition, but it is vital that dealing with logistical difficulties doesn't detract too much energy from the crucial task of spreading the political message as widely as possible.
Participation in the actual marches will remain a minority activity whatever routes they follow. What will be most significant is ensuring that, at every level of the labour movement, support is built for the demands of the appeal. Financial support for the campaign will be important. Local meetings should be organised around the march and plans laid for the largest possible delegations for the final events in Amsterdam.
The next Euro organising meetins is planned for 21/22 September in Paris and a conference in Brussels of over 500 militants is scheduled for January 1997.
Socialist Outlook supporters and comrades from our sister organisa. tions in the Fourth International across Europe will be playing a leading role in the development of the Euro march and building workers unity to fight the European bosses' draconian attitudes This initiative has the potential to become the first genuine European wide campaign of the workers move. ment. The whole of the left and the labour movement should take up the challenge to build it!
Socialist Outlook 105 • July 13 1996. Page 2