But Mr Blair said he had always believed that it was important to be supportive of the project politically so the UK could join when the conditions were right "and I still think that's the case".

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Then they're asked to minimize these conditions and join a coalition that might not benefit them.

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It opted out of the single European currency, although Mr Blair says he is determined to join up when economic conditions are right.

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Gaining legal status "would make it much easier for these workers to join together and improve their working conditions by joining a union, " said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the SEIU, who labeled passage of immigration legislation as the union's top priority this year.

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Unlike Britain and France, Germany lets the banks decide whether to join the rescue, but imposes harsh conditions on those that boost their capital with public money.

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Immigrants are less likely to join unions, less likely to complain about their working conditions or about overtime.

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The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said it was worried that the cost was going to go up even more, because some nurses were considering leaving the NHS to join agencies due to possible changes to their pay and conditions.

BBC: Cheltenham General Hospital

The Germans, for their part, had a simpler, not-so-hidden agenda: to set such tough conditions as to make it impossible for Italy, and probably for Spain and Portugal as well, to join the single currency from the start.

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