Euro banknote printers call off threat of strikes

Date: 13/09/01

By John Shelley

EURO banknote printers have withdrawn a threat of strikes in the run-up to the launch of the currency because they say coordinating action across the eurozone is near-impossible.

Trade unions say that even though the European Central Bank (ECB) has refused to give them reassurances about job security after the launch on 1 January, pan-European industrial action before then is now unlikely.

UNI Europa Graphical, the organisation which represents printers at European level, called in July for staff to refuse to work extra hours, as central banks across Europe struggled to produce the billions of bank-notes needed.

But the organisation admits the appeal failed to force central bank chiefs to the table.

François Ballestero, secretary of UNI Europa Graphical, said: "The situation is very difficult. Dialogue with the central bank is totally closed, but it's difficult at our level to push to have everybody take action at the same time. It's not that we are divided; everybody is for solidarity, everybody is for keeping their jobs," he said.

Printers have decided to try to persuade the ECB to let them take part in the institution's social dialogue committee. Currently, only bankers' unions sit on the committee, with those representing printers excluded as full members.

UNI Europa Graphical still hopes it may persuade the ECB to draw up a redundancy plan it has called for to protect printers.

Around 16.5 billion notes are due to be ready for the first day of circulation but only 4.8 billion are scheduled for printing in 2002, which the unions say will inevitably mean job losses among their 7,000 workers.

They want the ECB to set up a fund for the re-training of printers who are laid off and to guarantee minimum levels of severance pay.

Euro banknote printers have withdrawn a threat of strikes in the run-up to the launch of the currency because they say coordinating action across the eurozone is near-impossible.