Weber, Tina
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
ETUC response to UK Presidency's new European Company Statute proposal
27 Мај 1998
The proposed European Company Statute would enable European multinational
undertakings to operate under rules governed by EU company law, rather than
the diverse regulations of different Member States. Such "European Companies"
would also benefit from a special tax status. The idea has been on the table
for over a quarter of a century without winning adoption in the Council of
Ministers, with the problems centring around the issue of worker involvement
in the European Company. In 1996, a high-level expert group was set up by the
Commission to help break the deadlock, particularly in respect of those
countries which feared that the Statute would undermine strong national
involvement rights, and those countries which currently have no legal
mechanisms for ensuring employee involvement.
Over 4,000 workers die in work-related accidents across EU
27 Април 1998
The latest available figures on accidents at work across the European Union,
published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) on
16 March 1998, show that 4,084 people died in work-related accidents in 1994
(one worker in every 26,000) ("Accidents at work in the European Union in
1994", Statistics in focus, Population and social conditions, no 2/98 [1])
There is a strong sectoral imbalance in the incidence of fatal accidents at
work, which was twice the average in construction, agriculture and transport
and well below average in retailing, wholesaling, finance, hotels and
catering. Gender imbalances were also clearly visible, with men 10 times more
likely to be involved in fatal accidents than their female counterparts. This
can be attributed to the segregation of men and women in certain sectors and
occupations.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/eurostat/compres/en/2298/6302298a.htm
Social Affairs Council extends part-time work Directive to the UK
27 Април 1998
Meeting in Luxembourg on 7 April 1998, EU Labour and Social Affairs Ministers
adopted a new Directive extending Directive 97/81/EC on part-time work to the
UK. The 1997 Directive (EU9712175N [1]) implemented the framework agreement
on part-time work [2] concluded by the Union of Industrial and Employers'
Confederations of Europe (UNICE), the European Centre of Enterprises with
Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP)
and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) (EU9706131F [3]). A
proposal to extend the application of this Directive to the UK - in the light
of the UK Labour Government's agreement to abandon the previous
administration's "opt-out" from the Maastricht Agreement on Social Policy
(UK9704125F [4]) - had been tabled by the Commission in February 1998. The
UK's social policy opt-out is to be formally ended by the Treaty of Amsterdam
(EU9707135F [5]), which is currently going through the process of
ratification in each Member State.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/social-affairs-council-adopts-directive-to-implement-part-time-work-agreement
[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/social/parttime_en.htm
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/social-partners-reach-framework-agreement-on-part-time-work
[4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-labour-market/the-industrial-relations-consequences-of-the-new-labour-government
[5] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/amsterdam-treaty-brings-small-advances-for-employment-and-social-policy
Commission launches second-phase consultations on sectors excluded from working time Directive
27 Април 1998
On 31 March 1998, the European Commission launched the second phase of
consultations with the EU-level social partners on the content of future
legislation to amend the EU Directive on certain aspects of the organisation
of working time (93/104/EEC). The aim is to include sectors and activities so
far excluded from the Directive (air, rail, road, sea and inland waterway
transport, sea fishing, offshore workers and doctors). The European
intersectoral social partner organisations - the Union of Industrial and
Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE), the European Centre of
Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic
Interest (CEEP) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) - are
invited to negotiate framework agreements in this area which may lead to the
formulation of a Community Directive.
Negotiations on fixed-term contracts commence
27 Април 1998
Following the decision in December 1997 by the Union of Industrial and
Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE), the European Centre of
Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic
Interest (CEEP) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to open
negotiations on the rights of workers on fixed-term contracts (EU9802183F
[1]), the first meeting of the negotiating group took place on 23 March 1998.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-industrial-relations/unice-opens-door-to-negotiations-on-rights-of-fixed-term-contract-workers
ECJ rules on discrimination based on sexual orientation
27 Март 1998
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg has ruled that the
principle of equal pay and treatment between the sexes does not apply to
homosexual couples. Although the new Amsterdam Treaty [1] (EU9707135F [2]),
which is currently being ratified by the Member States, makes provision for
the Council of Ministers unanimously to adopt measures to combat all forms of
discrimination (including discrimination based on sexual orientation), the
ECJ decided in this case that Community law does not cover discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
[1] http://europa.eu.int/abc/obj/amst/en/index.htm
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/amsterdam-treaty-brings-small-advances-for-employment-and-social-policy
Finance ministers delay decision on reducing VAT on labour-intensive services
27 Март 1998
At a meeting in Brussels on 16 February 1998, the EU Economic and Financial
Affairs Council of Ministers expressed their doubts over the real impact on
employment of a reduction of value-added tax (VAT) on labour-intensive
services. This proposal was included in a Communication from the European
Commission (EU9711161N [1]) drawn up in preparation for the special European
Council Jobs Summit [2] held in Luxembourg in November 1997 (EU9711168F [3]).
The Commission document examined the scope for Member States to reduce the
rate of VAT levied on a limited number of labour-intensive local services,
such as repair services, the renovation and repair of buildings, theme parks,
cleaning and laundry services, home helps and care for children, disabled and
older people. It was suggested that a reduction of VAT could be applied in
very limited number of cases in order to test the job-creation potential of
such measures, particularly for low-skilled and long-term unemployed
individuals. Calls for a reduction of VAT on labour-intensive services were
voiced by the social partners representing workers in the cleaning industry
at a seminar held in October 1997 to discuss new employment opportunities in
the sector (EU9710153F [4]).
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/commission-suggests-boosting-job-creation-potential-through-vat-cuts
[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] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/conference-highlights-contribution-of-sectoral-social-dialogue-to-the-european-employment-strategy