European trades-unions are on the warpath. A demonstration is being promoted by the Trades Unions European Confederation (TUEC) in Brussels on 19 March to voice opposition to plans for the reform of the Lisbon Agenda. The President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso had announced a watering down of the strategy of the Union to restore competitiveness to firms and markets. John Monks, the English secretary of the confederation, which represents 34 countries with 60 million members, explains that the mobilization is intended to “send out a clear message against the destruction of social rights and against neo-liberalism”. The Trades Union Confederation supports the original version of the Lisbon Agenda, which aimed at an economic development founded on the promotion of know how and research, new technologies, human resources, and the quality of work. The demonstration on 19 March will precede by a few days the summit of the Twenty-Five.
