EUROMIL Presidium meeting Madrid 25 April Official Guests Photo: AUME

Successful EUROMIL Presidium meeting in Alcobendas (Madrid)

ALCOBENDAS- About 70 delegates of military trade unions and associations from 22 countries gathered for the 97th Presidium meeting 25 and 26 April. The meeting was under the auspices of AUME (Asociacion Unificada de Militares Espanoles), the unified military association of Spain. The main Spanish public service unions and police trade unions were present as well as members of the Spanish parliament to express solidarity with the Spanish military associations in their struggle for the full recognition of military staff associations.

Lacking right of association in Spain

EUROMIL hopes that the new Spanish government sees the contradiction of, on the one hand sending out troops abroad for the defence of fundamental rights and, on the other hand denying basic fundamental right to their own military personnel. This message was reiterated in the official opening of the EUROMIL Presidium on the 25 April by the Spanish public service union representatives UGT, CEP and CC.OO, the trade unions of the police and the Guardia Civil, CEP and AUGC as well as from members of the Spanish Parliament. All articulated their hope that a process of normalization would be initiated in Spain leading to a recognition of the right of association for military personnel through an approval of the Organic Law on the fundamental rights and obligations of military personnel which is pending since 2005.

HOSZ and PDFORRA, two success stories

In a workshop organized on the first day experts from Irish PDFORRA and Hungarian HOSZ presented their historical development from small military associations to fully recognized representative staff associations. Both associations that were set up in a very short time span of about 10 years emphasized the necessity of partnerships, the building up of sound finances and human resources as well as professionally organized lobbying as the reasons for their successes.

Pay and allowance schemes during international missions

While soldiers from different European countries serve more and more in common operations side by side, their allowances and payment models are still very different from each other. This issue was discussed in a second workshop in which the Swedish three-pillar calculation model of extra-allowances during missions abroad found special attention. This model takes into account the hardship of the mission abroad compared to home conditions as well as the threat assessment for the military mission. At the same time the currently used allowance schemes from Belgium, UK, Finland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Portugal were debated and compared.

Correlation between work on old military radars and tumours

During the Presidium one of EUROMIL’s Danish trade unions CS presented a study of the Danish national cancer prevention organisation that shows a significant correlation between work on old military radars and certain tumours. In a 2004 a register based mapping of the links between work and cancer in the period 1970-1997 confirmed that personnel in the Danish Armed Forces have a potential increased risk of developing 13 types of cancer compared with other personnel in civil employment within the same range of age.
There are initial indications that work with old radar equipment may have also negative health effects on the children of that service personnel. CS called on the other EUROMIL member associations to share any information that they might have in their respective countries on similar findings.
 
Preparatory deliberations for the EUROMIL Congress 13-14 November

The Presidium in Madrid concluded with the preparation and discussion of the EUROMIL Congress that will take place 13-14 November in Brussels this year. To that purpose a specific EUROMIL working group that had been set up by the Presidium presented amendment proposals to the EUROMIL Charter for further deliberation.