Today's Global Day of Action in defence of the right to strike has been firmly endorsed by GUE/NGL MEPs.

Organised by the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC) in response to attacks on the right to strike from employer groups at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the day of action is a chance to raise our voices and defend the right to strike as a fundamental democratic right, in the EU, across Europe and worldwide.

The creation of the ILO, a tripartite sub-organisation of the United Nations was a milestone in the struggle for workers' rights and it went a long way to protect those fighting for better working conditions from routine imprisonment, torture, and killings. The right to strike was enshrined in one of the ILO's most important conventions, No. 87 the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, which dates back to 1948 and entered into force in 1950.

But now employer groups at the ILO claim this right has no legal basis, a move wholeheartedly condemned by GUE/NGL as a provocative attempt to destroy the right to strike.

While Commissioner Marianne Thyssen pointed out last week that the right to strike is recognised as a fundamental right in the European Union, the reality is that EU austerity policies strive to undermine this right. And the right to strike is under attack outside the EU too; for example, the Turkish government recently banned outright a strike called by 15,000 workers from 42 companies. These outrageous attacks against fundamental rights must end.

For further information please go to: http://www.ituc-csi.org/18feb

GUE/NGL Press Contacts:
Emily Macintosh +32 470 85 05 08
Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20
European United Left / Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group