Workers' representatives express their views on the austerity measures being taken in Europe.

Viewpoint: Austerity measures

I want to say that the current  austerity measures in Europe

target mainly the working class  and small businesses.

We think that capital  must pay its share of taxes,

especially the banks  which should help struggling businesses.

I'm a trade unionist with  the General Confederation of Labour.

It's unacceptable, because,  since the beginning of the 80s,

The transfer of wealth,  created by workers, to shareholders

amounts to 10% of GDP  over more than 20 years.

The European countries quickly found  an agreement to save the banks,

and an agreement to implement austerity  measures in all European countries,

but they find it hard to create  a simple tax on financial transactions

and a simple tax on large fortunes  and the highest earnings.

The EU - the Commission,  the governments -

have been leading the way in arguing for  further neo-liberal measures.

They've been putting huge political  pressure on governments like Ireland,

Portugal, Greece and Spain  to implement further cuts and taxes.

For the young people that I teach,  we have said for years,

'you work hard, you get an exam,  and you’ll find a job'.

And now they say to me,  ‘Sir, there are no jobs'.

'We go to university, we leave  university, and still there are no jobs.'

If we want a system giving young people  a future, we have to reject these cuts.

I think unemployment  is more important.

as the system is not perfect  and must be reformed.

As an economist I think we need to look  for the roots of the problem elsewhere.

But unemployment and protecting young  people is perhaps what's most important.

I'm Jan Guz, President of the All-Poland  Alliance of Trade Unions.

In social security we have a two-speed  Europe, the countries have different laws.

The European Social Charter  is not binding in Poland,

nor is the European Charter  of Fundamental Rights.

Many rights that are respected in Europe  are not binding in Poland.

Our law is weaker and  facilitates the abuse of workers.

The priority for young people  is above all the right to a pension.

The pre-pension age should be lower.  If we want to give young people work,

we should give a pension to people  of the age to have it.