Brussels, 13/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The labour market reforms undertaken in Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary provide a suitable response to the economic crisis, concluded MEPs from the EPP Group in the European Parliament at a hearing in the European Parliament on Wednesday 11 April, attended also by members of government of the three countries. What these reforms have in common is a desire to introduce greater flexibility.
To illustrate the approach that should be taken to respond to a global situation where competition is fiercer than ever, Csaba Ory (EPP, Hungary) cited introducing atypical employment contracts and reducing the “administrative burden”. “It is in this context that employment security and workers' rights should be viewed”, argued Czech MEP Jan Bresina, adding that “the EU institutions should encourage countries with traditionally high labour protection to adapt labour market rules to the actual needs of the economy and undergo changes to their rather rigid labour legislation”.
When Secretary of State for Employment Sandor Czomba presented the new Hungarian labour market reforms, he emphasised that they were in line with the guidelines established by the European Commission while combining flexibility with guarantees on retaining the job security of the most vulnerable workers.
Adjustments of this sort are not restricted solely to this region of Europe, as the latest European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) report points out. Most EU member states are making their jobs markets more “flexible”, meaning changes to the rules governing working time, types of contract, dismissals and collective bargaining systems (see EUROPE 10583). (JK/transl.rt)