Brussels, 20/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - The time is coming when new mothers in the European Union will enjoy minimum maternity leave of 20 weeks on full salary and fathers will have two weeks' paternity leave. In Strasbourg on Wednesday 20 October, the European Parliament voted on legislative proposals seeking to review the European directives on the health and safety of expectant workers. The outcome of the vote was 390 for, 192 against, with 59 abstentions. The ball is now in the court of the Council of Ministers which must take a position in first reading on the Commission's proposal.
Following the Strasbourg vote Commission Vice-President with responsibility for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding said: “Mothers' rights are a key priority for the European Commission. If we want to move towards gender equality in the work place, we must find the right balance between concrete rights for mothers and the current economic realities facing businesses in the EU”.
Those who are pleased. For rapporteur Edite Estrela (S&D, Portugal), the vote was nothing short of a great success. She said: “This is a great day for new parents and good news for our economic future in Europe. It has been a hard-fought battle and we must now negotiate with EU ministers to make these improvements a reality”. She argued that the costs would be minimal and, in Europe as a whole, would be fully covered if only 1.4 per cent more women were able to go to work. In the United Kingdom, she said, costs would be covered if just 0.04 per cent more women were able to carry on working as a result of these provisions. She said that paternity leave was “great progress which already exists in a large number of EU countries. It is good for children's physical and psychological development to have their fathers close to them too”.
The Greens/EFA are also pleased with the result which, they say, is of crucial importance to families in Europe. It is, they argue, a significant step towards gender equality. “Longer maternity leave and recognition at European level of compulsory paternity leave are essential for the health of mothers and babies. They are also key to achieving the target of 75% participation of women in the labour market contained in the EU 2020 strategy and to meeting the challenges of an ageing society.”
The GUE/NGL shared this view, welcoming the failure of the right-wing attempts in the EP to “damage the notion of maternity and paternity as fundamental social values”.
Those who are disappointed. In the EPP, French MEP Elisabeth Morin Chartier repeated her criticism of the Estrela report. “The position adopted today is populist and irresponsible. Who will pay for the additional financial costs? Companies won't be able to, and member states even less. This fine idea will, ultimately, work against women!”
On Monday, Elisabeth Lynne (ALDE, UK) told the plenary session that the amendments “go too far” and fail to take account of differences between member states. She added that there were maternity, paternity and parental leaves, each with different levels of remuneration. Some social security systems cover these expenses, sometimes it is left to companies and sometimes is a mixture of the two, she pointed out, arguing that care must be taken not to destroy what already exists. Marina Yannakoudakis (ECR, UK said: “This is a typical EU proposal: well-intentioned but completely out of step with reality. This directive would cost small businesses and our public services millions of pounds and lead to further indirect discrimination against women in the workplace”. Marije Cornelissen (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) said that Morin-Chartier was not alone in suggesting that this proposal could be disadvantageous to women. “Where,” she asked, “does this argument come from?” adding: “You want to perpetuate the traditional system where the father brings home the wages and the woman looks after the children!” In this, she was supported by a number of left-wing and extreme left-wing MEPs.
On Wednesday, the European Crafts and Small Businesses Union (UEAPME) said it was disappointed by the vote in Parliament, in view of the high level of costs such a measure would bring for SMEs and public finances. EuroCommerce said the vote was bad news for jobs, competiveness and small businesses. “We take the view that these changes will not strike a proper balance between the needs of women in regards to their private and family life and the professional requirements of business. Many different measures such as paternal and parental leave are already in place and available.” (G.B./transl.rt)