Brussels, 16/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Employment Task Force, which is responsible for examining employment policies and identifying reforms which could have a direct impact on the Member States' capacity to apply the new European employment strategy, met for the second time in Brussels on Monday 14 July, under the chairmanship of Wim Kok. Representatives of the European social partners (UNICE/UEAPME for the employers, ETUC for the unions and CEEP for public services) told the Task Force exactly what they expected of it and the subjects it should particularly focus on. The Task Force members put several questions to the social partners on policies (apart from labour market policies) which may help to increase employment in Europe, ways of increasing the participation of women in the labour market, how to encourage older workers to remain in employment, on flexibility and security in the context of new forms of work, and the importance of life-long learning.
Philippe de Buck, UNICE Secretary General, presented an analysis of major problems facing the employment market in Europe (low levels of productivity, high labour costs, the ageing population). He made some very general recommendations which the Task Force could include in its report, for example: - respecting the differences between national social systems at European level, or guaranteeing improved co-ordination between the various processes of political co-ordination (economy, employment, social protection, education and training); - for the Member States to implement reforms in the pensions and social security sectors, and also in teaching and vocational training systems.
UEAPME (craft and small and medium enterprises) Secretary General Hans-Werner Müller insisted that all measures to fulfil the objectives laid down in the guidelines should be evaluated taking into account their impact on smaller businesses. Among the main reforms to be undertaken, Mr Müller requested: 1) a review of the tax burden on companies, and in particular, for non-salary costs to be reduced on low salaries; 2) a permanent reduction of the rate of VAT on highly labour-intensive activities; 3) urgent reforms to be carried out in the field of social protection systems, including pensions and healthcare, but also the taxation/allocation system for social service provision in order to make the work financially attractive.
Rainer Hoffman, the new Secretary General of the European Trade Unions Confederation, stressed the need to tackle employment policy strategy and macro-economic strategy at the same time. He added that if reforms are needed on the labour market, only those negotiated with the social partners would be acceptable.