Strasbourg, 13/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - After examining the reports of fifteen countries out of the 28 which are linked by the Council of Europe's Social Charter, the European Committee on Social Rights noted that thirteen of them do not comply with certain provisions. Only Austria and Iceland come out of this periodical examination unscathed. The Committee highlighted the following main problems:
- Belgium: Apprentices in the first year of their apprenticeship only earn 17% of the minimum legal wage for adults. The vaccination programmes against diphtheria, measles and poliomyelitis are insufficient to guarantee full protection of the population.
- Denmark: There is no compulsory postnatal maternity leave of six weeks. The rules relating to work permits for foreigners are not sufficiently flexible.
- Finland: Courts rarely rule that women who have been unlawfully dismissed during their maternity leave should be given their jobs back. The compensation that employers should pay if they unlawfully dismiss a woman during her maternity leave is not sufficiently high to dissuade employers from doing so, or sufficient compensation for the worker dismissed.
- France: Children under sixteen years of age may work in the family firm. The right of succession is still discriminatory for some children born out of wedlock.
- Greece: Rules on work permits for foreigners are not sufficiently flexible.
- Italy: A significant number of children work unlawfully.
- Netherlands: Some categories of workers are not entitled to maternity leave.
- Norway: Children at school may work during almost all their school holidays.
- Poland: The notice of dismissal is too short (two weeks) for fixed term contracts.
- Portugal: A certain number of children work illegally.
- Spain: Children under sixteen years of age may work in the family firm.
- Sweden: There is no compulsory six-week postnatal maternity leave.
- United Kingdom: Insufficient maternity benefits and no compulsory six-week postnatal maternity leave.
The Committee, however, did welcome certain improvements brought in after its previous report: (1) in France, Greece and Sweden, where the ban on employing children under fifteen years of age became more widespread; (2) in Italy, where company employees can no longer be dismissed during maternity leave; (3) in the Netherlands, where women can take time to breast feed, without loss of income; (4) in Portugal, which increased penalties for child labour and extended the compulsory maternity leave to six weeks.
The next report by the Committee on Social Rights will cover the situation in Cyprus, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia, as well as Luxembourg and Malta. It will be published before June this year.