I cannot imagine a social market economy without social rights
By Jon Hibbs, Political Staff
THE Government came under fresh pressure to abandon its resistance to the European charter for employment rights yesterday. Jacques Santer, president of the European Commission, demanded better protection for British workers and more action to tackle unemployment.
He infuriated ministers by using a speech on the opening day of the TUC conference to intensify the campaign being waged by Brussels to undermine the British opt-out from the social chapter of the Maastricht Treaty.
Mr Santer made it clear that Mr Major would face renewed demands to sign the social chapter at the forthcoming inter-governmental conference on the future of the Union, dubbed Maastricht II.
"We are not in favour of any opt-out clause for the future," he said, appealing to EU states to find compromises on social and employment policy. "I cannot imagine that in the future we can make a real social market economy without a minimum of social standards and social rights for workers."
In a thinly-veiled dig at Mr Major's hostility, Mr Santer added: "If we want to realise all the potential of the market of 370 million inhabitants and consumers - the largest in the world - then we have to set down minimum social standards and we cannot accept any damping attitudes in the way."
Seven years after his predecessor, Jacques Delors, offered the TUC a new role in Europe to compensate for its declining influence at home, Mr Santer promised the unions an even bigger say in discussions about the shape of Europe.
He maintained that Europe's economic competitiveness would be strengthened considerably if there was fresh momentum and substance to the social dialogue between employers and trade unions.
Co-operation between both sides of industry would reduce the need for intervention legislation from Brussels and improve social solidarity in individual countries, he said.
Mr Santer also challenged Britain to play a full part in next month's social summit, when the commission hopes to preside over the first pan-union agreement between employers and workers.
His comments came in a debate on Europe in which the TUC reaffirmed a call for co-ordinated action to boost the EU economy and the introduction of a single social policy framework.
However, in contrast to M Delors's electrifying challenge to the TUCin 1988, which outraged Mrs Thatcher and confirmed her suspicions that the commission was seeking to introduce socialism by the back door, Mr Santer was heard in a respectful silence.
He received polite applause from the 800 delegates, many of whom were disappointed that he had not delivered a ringing endorsement of the social chapter.
Mr Major commented that whatever Mr Santer said, Britain had no intention of relinquishing its opt-out. "Without wishing to be ungraciousin the light of what he has said, we regard the opt-out as something that is not negotiable."
