a "best practices" proposal from the Viennese Greens:
The "Day of the Unemployed" on 30th April
On the day before May 1st, the international Labour Day, the Viennese Greens use to commit the so-called "Day of the Unemployed" - together with alternative, green and independent trade union groups.
We would like to stimulate the public debate on the challenge of unemployment with a focus on people who are affected by unemployment. Also we want to put a counterbalance to the large Labour Day event organized by the Social Democratic Party and by their fraction in the Trade Union.
Our activities on the "Day of the Unemployed" focus on unemployment rates, labour market policies and gaps in the social security systems.
Unemployed persons are exposed to a large political and administrative pressure. And the Austrian labour market policy increasingly pursues a "workfare" approach.
In "celebrating" this day, we also emphasize that the neo-liberal development of individualizing people and of privatization of social risks is aggravating more in Austria than in the entire European Union.
Activities:
We have been organizing a street-events in Vienna every year basis since 1997 (the year when we first "celebrated" the "Day of the Unemployed").
NGO’s and self-help organizations for unemployed people were able to present themselves and to get into contact and discussion with people on the street.
In 2007, we tried something different: We organized a press event in front of the Ministry for Social Affairs and the Ministry for Economy and Labour. In the afternoon we had a meeting with unemployment NGO’s and initiatives, looking for some areas of co-operation and support.
Thus, we developed two formats in the last years to commit this "Day of the Unemployed" and we also will dedicate a whole day to all questions around unemployment on 30th April 2008.
Our proposal is to "celebrate" the "Day of the Unemployed" simultaneously in several European capitals where Greens are represented in the city councils and thus achieve much more media attention – for instance by sending public video messages during the events to each other.
Veronika Litschel
project management, Die Grünen Vienna
phone +43-1/521 25 209
IMPRESSUM
Grüner Klub im RathausA-1082 Wien, Stiege 6
Tel: +43 1 4000 81800
Fax: +43 1 4000 99 81811
wien@gruene.at