Brussels, 11/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on 11 May, the Socialist group in the European Parliament, led by German Social Democrat MEP Martin Schulz, held a meeting on encouraging “decent work” in the EU and at international level. Taking part were high level representatives from the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European and international trades unions, says a press release.
During the debate, to which EUROPE will come back at a later date, Martin Schulz stressed the importance of ensuring “decent working conditions, respect for human dignity and fairer sharing of income from work”. French MEP Harlem Désir, one of the group's deputy leaders, considered that the promotion of decent work should become “a central element in all EU external policies”, and that the European Union should defend this concept, particularly in international trade agreements “as it has done with in the WTO for the environment, health and access to healthcare”. European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Vladimir Spidla confirmed that the Commission would soon be presenting a communication on this issue, and that a high level conference would be devoted to it in Helsinki in December, during the Finnish Presidency. Pascal Lamy, Director General of the World Trade Organisation, said, according to the press release, that “in the WTO treaty, there is no explicit reference to work standards” and that the Organisation had no mandate in respect of fundamental social rights. However, he went on, the WTO “is part of an international system and cannot develop clinically isolated from the other systems of standards”, like those of the ILO.
The press release points out that the concept of “decent work” was launched by the Labour Organisation in 1991 and covers employment and the creation of companies, workers' rights, social protection and social dialogue.