Stockholm, 22/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The negotiations between European social partners on temporary work (see EUROPE of 3 March, p.16) remained blocked, on Thursday evening. The UNICE Council of President (European employers), gathered on 21 March in Stockholm, did not give a significant signal on two elements allowing for a revival of negotiations. The UNICE declaration gives the appearance of an opening, but basically the employers positions remain unchanged, indicated the Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Emilio Gabaglio, following the works of the ETUC Executive Committee, Thursday in Stockholm. UNICE gave the impression of accepting equal treatment in a company employing temporary workers on health and worker security, but a Directive already exists in the matter!
In the same way, on prevention of abusive use of temping work, UNICE only in fact proposes taking up a clause of the 181 ILO Convention which does not concern the prevention of abuse as accepted by employers in the agreement on fixed duration contracts. ETUC sought a negotiated compromise in vain, which assures temporary workers have a true non-discrimination clause as well as guarantees allowing prevention of the abusive use of this form of work, that UNICE has obstinately refused on the pretext that such measures would be detrimental to employment. ETUC considers that the negotiation cannot continue under such conditions and calls on the Commission to pursue the procedure begun in 1995 in its second consultation phase on three forms of atypical work (part time work, fixed duration contracts and temping work), the first two of which have already been the subject of European agreements completing the regulation on this form of work with a proposal of directive", concluded Mr Gabaglio.