Brussels, 07/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament is now ready to open negotiations with the Council of the EU and the European Commission on the draft amending regulation on seafarers after the employment and social affairs committee adopted a joint position on Wednesday 1 April. These negotiations do not appear as if they will be too fraught, the Parliament and Council having adopted very similar positions, giving the social partners hope that definitive agreement can be reached before summer.
The draft report by MEP Elisabeth Morin-Chartier (EPP, France) was passed by 47 voted to 5. The Commission's legislative proposal, presented in November 2013, would give seafarers the same rights to be kept informed and to be consulted as other workers across the member states, with the amendment of five labour law directives. The amendments adopted by the MEPs to the Commission proposal closely mirror the position agreed by the Council in December 2014 (see EUROPE 11216).
Thus, a more restricted scope is to be found. Where the Commission proposed that the amending directive apply to “the transfer of a seagoing vessel registered in and/or flying the flag of a Member State and constituting an undertaking, business or part of an undertaking or business for the purposes of this Directive, even when it is not situated within the territorial scope of the Treaty”, the Council and the Parliament want to limit the scope to the situation where “the transferee is situated, or the transferred undertaking, business, or part of an undertaking or business remains, within the territorial scope of the Treaty”.
With the positions of the Council and the Parliament being virtually indistinguishable - MEPs wish, in addition, only to ensure that a permanent member of crew is always able to attend meetings of the European works council, as provided for in one of the directives to be amended (94/45/EC) - the social partners hope that agreement can be reached swiftly in the inter-institutional talks due to begin very shortly.
In a joint press release, the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) said on Thursday 2 April that “the adoption of the Rapporteur's report marks a very positive outcome that will ensure that the exclusion of seafarers from some key employment and social rights is removed and seafarers can enjoy their right to protection, information and consultation within the undertaking and their right to fair and just working conditions”. (Jan Kordys)