Weber, Tina
UNICE decides against negotiations on national information and consultation rights
27 Октомври 1998
Meeting on 16 October 1998, the council of presidents of the Union of
Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE) again rejected the
European Commission's invitation to enter into negotiations on information
and consultation of workers at national level. Emilio Gabaglio, general
secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called the
decision "regrettable but not unexpected".
ETUC urges action to stem tide of global economic crisis
27 Октомври 1998
Meeting on 8-9 October 1998, the executive committee of the European Trade
Union Confederation (ETUC) adopted a statement on Europe and the global
crisis [1], which outlines the response ETUC would like the European Union
and the Member States to adopt to limit the negative impact of the economic
crisis in Asia on European businesses and employment.
[1] http://www.etuc.org/Exec/Resolutions/English/decang1.cfm
UNICE responds to second-stage consultations on sectors excluded from working time Directive
27 Септември 1998
Since the initial adoption of the Council Directive on certain aspects of the
organisation of working time (93/104/EC) [1] in 1993, the European Commission
has emphasised its desire to review the situation in relation to the sectors
and activities excluded from the Directive (such as transport or junior
doctors etc). In July 1997, the Commission launched a White Paper on sectors
and activities excluded from the working time Directive [2] (EU9707138N
[3])..
[1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31993L0104&model=guichett
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/labour/white/whiteen.htm
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/commission-publishes-white-paper-on-sectors-and-activities-excluded-from-the-working-time-directive
Commission adopts proposals to update Directives on freedom of movement
27 Август 1998
Three legislative proposals adopted by the Commission on 22 July 1998 aim to
update and clarify the rights of EU citizens in relation to freedom of
movement within the Union in order to take up work. The first two proposals
modify and update the two core pieces of legislation which have guaranteed
freedom of movement for the past 30 years; Council Regulation (EEC) 1612/68
on freedom of movement of workers within in the Community; and Directive
68/360/EEC on the abolition of restrictions on movement and residence within
the Community for workers of Member States and their families.
Workers' employability to be priority for training aid
27 Август 1998
On 22 July 1998, the European Commission adopted a "framework" which seeks to
improve transparency in the area of state aid granted to companies for
training their workers, by clarifying which publicly funded training falls
under the competition rules regarding state aid. It also defines the criteria
the Commission will use to ascertain whether this aid is compatible with the
common market.
ECJ rejects UEAPME's case against the parental leave Directive
27 Јули 1998
On 17 June 1998, the European Court of Justice handed down its judgment in
case T-135/96, /UEAPME vs Council of the European Union/. The case arguably
attracted relatively little wider attention, but was of great significance
for the legal standing of Directives conceived under the Maastricht social
policy Agreement and Protocol [1], whereby agreements reached by the EU-level
social partners are implemented by a Council of Ministers Directive. The
European Association of Craft and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME)
had brought the case, seeking principally the annulment of the June 1996 EU
Directive on parental leave (96/34/EC), or secondarily the annulment of the
Directive's applicability to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME s).
[1] http://www.europa.eu.int/abc/obj/treaties/en/entr8i.htm
Employers may re-evaluate decision not to negotiate on national information and consultation
27 Јули 1998
The new president of the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of
Europe (UNICE), Georges Jacobs of Belgium, has indicated a willingness on the
part of European employers to reconsider their decision not to negotiate on
workers' rights to information and consultation at the national level. In
November 1997, the European Commission had opened a second round of
consultations with the EU-level social partners on the content of possible EU
legislation on this issue, on the basis of the social policy Agreement and
Protocol annexed to the Maastricht Treaty (EU9711160N [1]). The social
partners had an opportunity to seek an agreement on the subject at this
stage, thus forestalling a Directive, but UNICE decided in March 1998 not to
open talks (EU9803192N [2]).
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/commission-launches-second-phase-of-consultations-on-national-information-and-consultation
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/unice-rejects-negotiations-on-information-and-consultation
NAPs and business transfers Directive among Council agenda items
27 Јуни 1998
The meeting of the Labour and Social Affairs Council of Ministers held under
the UK Presidency on 3-4 June 1998 in Luxembourg was primarily dedicated to
the National Action Plans [1] (NAP s) for employment produced by the Member
States in response to the 1998 Employment Guidelines [2] (EU9805107N [3]).
The Council held two consecutive debates on the NAPs, the first on 3 June
involving only the Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs, and the second at
a joint session on 4 June 1998 with the Education Council of Ministers. In
the course of the debate, Ministers were invited to discuss their NAPs in
relation to the four "pillars" of employability, entrepreneurship,
adaptability and equal opportunities. There was a broad consensus that basic
educational provision needs to be improved to meet the needs of labour
markets. Efforts are to be focused on those who have left school without any
marketable qualifications, and a greater emphasis is to be placed on lifelong
learning. Many delegations emphasised the importance of involving the social
partners in labour market policy. "Mainstreaming" was approved as the most
effective approach to achieving greater equality of opportunity. These
discussions were held in preparation for the Cardiff European Council meeting
later in the month, where the NAPs were to be assessed.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/naps/naps_en.htm
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/docs/guideen.htm
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/national-action-plans-for-employment-reviewed
High Level Group on industrial change presents interim report
27 Мај 1998
The High Level Group on the Economic and Social Implications of Industrial
Change, chaired by Pehr Gyllenhammar, was established in response to the
European Council's conclusions [1] at the Luxembourg Jobs Summit [2] held in
November 1997 (EU9711168F [3]). The Group's brief is to analyse the potential
industrial changes that the European Union faces and make recommendations on
measures or instruments which can anticipate and manage these changes
effectively. The Group presented its interim report [the hypertext link here
is to a RAPID document - users without a password or user name should use
"guest" for both] [4] on 14 May 1998 and plans to submit it to the European
Council meeting in Cardiff in June 1998.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/papers/concl.htm
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/home.htm
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/employment-summit-agrees-limited-package-of-measures-to-combat-unemployment
[4] http://www.europa.eu.int/rapid/cgi/rapcgi.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=DOC/98/7|0|RAPID&lg=EN
National Action Plans for employment reviewed
27 Мај 1998
On 13 May 1998, the European Commission adopted a Communication - entitled
From guidelines to action: the National Action Plans for employment [1]-
examining the Member States' National Action Plans (NAP s). These Plans drawn
up in response to the Employment Guidelines [2] for 1998 which were adopted
in December 1997 by the Council of Ministers as part of the "Luxembourg"
European employment strategy. The objective of the Communication is to
examine whether the commitments in the NAPs are in line with the Guidelines'
four objectives, or "pillars", of employability, adaptability,
entrepreneurship and equal opportunities.
[1] http://www.europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg05/elm/naps/commen.pdf
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/docs/guideen.htm