Battleangel

Charlie McCreevy “was misunderstood” apparently in the Swedish labour row. This beginnings of this story slipped by me last week. McCreevy should have rung a bell but it didn’t. This crud of a commissioner is obviously the same McCreevy that fought the hardest to keep the patent directive alive, circumvent democracy by ignoring the European Parliament and presumably doing this to back ominous corporations (Microsoft, Intel) in his old constituency in Ireland. And now he’s at it again, unconditionally offering his support for private businesses, ignorant of the social consequences.

The conflict started with spat between a Latvian construction company and Swedish trade union.

Sunday Times - In 2004, a Latvian construction company, Laval, was hired to build a school on Vaxholm, in the Stockholm archipelago. Laval, which paid some of its workers as little as €4 an hour, soon became a target for Swedish trade unions, which had agreed hourly rates of up to €15 for such work.

Byggnads, one Swedish union, demanded that the Latvians sign a collective agreement on wages and conditions. In essence, they wanted the Latvians to pay Swedish rates. Laval refused, saying the costs would make the contract uneconomic.

McCreevy also offered this nonsensical explanation.

“It is entirely a matter for member states as to whether they want social partnership or collective bargaining agreements,” McCreevy clarified this weekend. “What is at issue are the rights of workers in Latvia to freely work in another member state.”

Well, no one is stopping them, as long as they honor said agreements.