"We have lost the fight for the jobs. In the end, the management in Berlin and the company chiefs in Japan were not interested. They no longer want to produce in western Europe." This week's glum statement by the Berlin branch of Germany's once-mighty IG Metall, made after its failure to save 235 jobs at a JVC plant making video recorders and DVD players, illustrates a Europe-wide trend of declining union power that is expected to gather pace in coming years. It's the latest example of how Europe's workers have been forced to accept plant closures, longer working hours and sluggish wage growth despite soaring energy costs.
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