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Q&A with Luca Visentini - ETUC general secretary

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Luca Visentini

Born in 1969 in Udine, in north-eastern Italy, Luca Visentini joined the Italian Labour Union (UIL) aged just 20. A lengthy union career culminated in his election as ETUC general secretary in 2015. For the Guide Luca answers our questions on Brexit, and more.

Luca Visentini says he is ready to tackle the ills created by the financial crisis and is keen to win wage increases through collective bargaining, contributing to economic growth by strengthening demand. “Priority number one, the most urgent, will be the fight against the economic crisis, boosting growth and creating new jobs," Visentini said last year before his election, adding that he thought the European Commission's investment plan was "insufficient". So how does he see things now that Europe is coming to terms with British withdrawal?

What was the reaction among European trade unions to the Brexit vote?

“All European trade unions are very worried about the result of the referendum. They are afraid this event can have seriously negative consequences on the economy, jobs and social protection systems of both the UK and the rest of Europe.

Does the result affect the TUC’s relationship with the ETUC?

“The TUC is one of the most important affiliates of the ETUC. We have trade union members from countries that are not part of the EU but we want to keep the UK as close as possible to it. So we will cooperate with the TUC to influence the negotiations on both sides, and to make sure that workers’ interests and rights will be fully respected, whatever the final status of the UK.

What lessons are European trade unions taking from the referendum result, and what lessons do you want European Commissioners and Europe’s political leaders to take?

“Propaganda for Brexit was mainly based on migration, but actually the areas where Brexit prevailed were the ones with the highest levels of unemployment and social exclusion. Globalisation, dismissals, cuts in public services, the economic crisis and austerity are the enemies of workers, and the lesson we have to take is that if we want workers not to be misled by anti-European, populist and xenophobic narratives, we as trade unions have to focus on their real problems and provide concrete solutions. This is also our message to politicians: it’s time for growth, quality jobs and better welfare for working people.

What can the ETUC do to help us in the UK keep the workers’ rights that depend on EU directives?

“It’s a matter of influencing the negotiations, to achieve for the UK a status that guarantees access to the single market together with all rights and obligations linked to it. It won’t be easy, since this implies respect of all fundamental freedoms, including freedom of movement. It will be a complex negotiation, where TUC and ETUC together will have to fight to preserve British workers’ rights, while avoiding derogations that could jeopardise EU workers’ rights.

How did Eastern European trade unionists react to the focus on migration in the referendum campaign?

“They were not happy, of course. And they are even more worried now that Brexit is a reality. Their workers are at risk in the UK, and a domino effect is possible in other EU countries, starting with Germany, the Netherlands, or Austria. Any kind of convergence on working and social conditions between East and West – that we were and still are advocating –becomes more difficult now. On the other side, there’s the risk British people become ‘illegal’ in the EU. We need to be vigilant and to act to make sure that all this won’t happen.

What are the prospects for economic growth in Europe now that the UK is exiting? Bearing in mind Britain has just had its worst fall in real wages since Victorian times?

“The economic crisis was there in most EU countries before Brexit, and it can become even worse now. What we have been repeating to the EU institutions for years – that economic growth can only be based on public investment, internal demand, wage increases and social cohesion – is now a must. Without this there is no hope for our economies, as at least the European Commission starts realising – it’s time to convince governments.

In the UK we are worried about an increase in racist incidents. And the Far Right is increasing its influence throughout Europe. What role can unions play to counter this?

“The rise of such movements is worryingly widespread in almost all the European countries, and we know that many workers and even trade union members vote for them. But we cannot blame and shame workers, because the causes of this are the economic crisis, unemployment, unequal treatment and social exclusion. The way to counter it is to give workers and citizens concrete solutions to those problems. Also dialogue is important. We need to talk to our people, to explain what’s behind such phenomena, and to make them feel we are on their side.

The TUC is starting a campaign to get young people into unions. What do you feel are the most important arguments we can use?

“This is a common battle seen across Europe. There are very good arguments to convince young people: trade unions are the only organisations that really care about their working future; they help create good jobs for them and protect them in the workplace; and trade unions fight against precariousness, to make jobs stable and secure. We have been labelled in the past as standing up only for older workers in established industries. Now we have to show in practice that we are the ones who fight in the modern workplace for young people and their rights.

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