The European Parliament adopted by 504 votes to 111,
with 59 abstentions, a resolution on working conditions and
precarious employment.
It should be noted that an alternative motion for a
resolution tabled by the ENF Group was rejected in plenary by 65
votes to 622, with 4 abstentions.
Parliament noted that during the last 10 years
standard employment has fallen from 62 % to 59 %. If this
trend continues it may well become the case that standard contracts
will only apply to a minority of workers.
It noted that the risk of precariousness depends on
the type of contract but also on the following
factors:
- little or no job security owing to the non-permanent
nature of the work, as in involuntary and often marginal part-time
contracts, and, in some Member States, unclear working hours and
duties that change owing to on-demand work;
- rudimentary protection from dismissal and lack of
sufficient social protection in case of dismissal;
- insufficient remuneration for a decent
living;
- no or limited social protection rights or
benefits;
- no or limited protection against any form of
discrimination;
- no or limited prospects for advancement in the labour
market or career development and training;
- low level of collective rights and limited right to
collective representation;
- a working environment that fails to meet minimum
health and safety standards.
Parliament highlighted that decent work should
specifically provide:
- a living wage, also guaranteeing the right of freedom
of association;
- collective agreements in line with Member States’
practices;
- workers’ participation in company matters in line
with Member States’ practices;
- respect of collective bargaining;
- equal treatment of workers in the same
workplace;
- workplace health and safety;
- social security protection for workers and their
dependents;
- provisions on working and rest time;
- protection against dismissal;
- access to training and lifelong learning;
- support for work-life balance for all
workers.
At the same time, it called on the Commission and
Members States to adopt economic policies to ensure job creation,
and rights at work in accordance with the ILO Decent Work
Agenda.
Parliament also stressed that digitalisation and
automation, are contributing to the transformation of the nature of
work, including the rise in new forms of employment. This in
turn might need new forms of protection. It highlighted the fact
that workers with very short contracts are those most exposed to
adverse conditions and that atypical labour relations are being
overused to the point of abuse.
The Commission and Member States are therefore called
upon to strengthen social dialogue in the work place as well
as reinforce labour inspectorates, particularly in sectors
that employ migrants.
Proposals: overall, the Parliament asked the Commission and
Member States to tackle precarious employment, including
undeclared work and bogus self-employment, in line with the ILO
Decent Work Agenda, and the European Social Charter.
It called on the Commission and the Member States
to:
- increase job quality in non-standard jobs by
providing, at the least, a set of minimum standards as regards
social protection, minimum wage levels and access to training and
development;
- ensure that national social security systems are
fit for purpose when it comes to new forms of
employment;
- assess new forms of employment driven by
digitalization and the collaborative economy;
- ensure that individual self-employed workers who are
legally considered a sole- member company have the right to
collective bargaining;
- adopt targeted policies to protect workers in the
informal economy;
- protect vulnerable workers such as disabled people,
migrants or women working in precarious conditions;
- tackle the phenomenon of ‘mobbing’ in the
workplace, including the harassment of pregnant female employees or
any disadvantage experienced after returning from maternity
leave;
- ensure decent working
conditions for all first work experience opportunities for
young people, such as internships;
- introduce new measures to improve worker
mobility;
- ensure the rights of seasonal workers;
- combat undeclared work, bogus
self-employment and all forms of illegal employment practices which
undermine workers’ rights and social security
systems.
Lastly, Parliament considered that under no
circumstances should increase demands for flexibility on the labour
market result in women continuing to be over-represented in
atypical employment and among those with insecure employment
status.