EU ministers unanimously supported the role of social partners and social dialogue, particularly in the preparation and implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, during a debate at the ‘Employment and Social Policy’ Council of the EU (EPSCO,) on Monday 14 June.
Thus, without exception, the Member States praised the role of the social partners in the context of the pandemic and the Recovery Plan, as well as in addressing the structural challenges ahead, in particular in relation to digitalisation.
The role of the EU and its financial support was frequently mentioned in consolidating the resources of the social partners, notably through the European Social Fund and the Structural and Investment Funds.
The comments made by the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, however, broke with this prevailing unanimity. The Commissioner personally called on Member States to better involve the social partners at all levels in key reforms.
Similarly, the Chair of the Employment Committee (EMCO), Ilze Zvīdriņa, said she hoped for an active and dynamic involvement of the social partners in the preparation and implementation of reforms and national recovery plans.
The European Commission is preparing an initiative for 2022 on revitalising social dialogue. In this context, the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights recalled the report by his special advisor, Andrea Nahles (see EUROPE 12651/21).
Digital platform
The coverage of collective agreements in the face of new forms of contracts, particularly in the face of the rise of digital platforms, was also widely discussed.
Responding to questions from the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 12739/17), the ministers addressed the issue of collective bargaining coverage in the face of the rise of atypical contracts and digital platforms.
Several Member States, such as Greece, stressed the extra workload involved in teleworking and the importance of introducing a right to disconnect. The issue of the opacity of the algorithms used by digital platforms was brought up by Italy.
Here, several Member States, such as Denmark, have rejected the creation of a new category of worker in addition to those of employee and self-employed. For them, the focus should be on the contractual relationship above all. Several Member States stressed the need to combat the phenomenon of false self-employment. Others, such as Bulgaria, argued that the self-employed should be left out of the discussion.
The mention of the social partners’ role in digital platforms was timely on the eve of the presentation of the second round of consultation of the social partners with a view to presenting a European initiative to regulate the activity of platforms (see other news). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)