Unions head for Judgement Thursday

With trade unions in France, Romania, Italy, UK, Greece, and Spain planning action against govermnent-imposed austerity measures, Warsaw daily Rzeczpospolita warns that Thursday 28 October, when most action is scheduled, may be “judgment day” for Europe. “The European working class is taking to the streets, because they have a clear message to their governments,” says John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), arguing that “employees will have to foot the bill for ruthless speculation on the financial markets today and in the near future.” Rzeczpospolita notes that Sweden, Poland, and Malta are the only EU countries not to have introduced drastic budget cuts so far, while most other European governments refuse to budge on austerity measures, despite criticism and mass protests.