Brussels, 28/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a report on “Internationally recognised core labour standards in the EU” published on 26 February, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) notes serious infractions of workers' fundamental rights in several EU countries. Fundamental labour standards are respected in law but not always in reality in the EU 27, ITUC stresses, pointing out that the publication of this report coincides with the review of the EU's trade policy in the WTO (EUROPE N. 9375). The conclusions and recommendations in the ITUC report (which is available on the website http: //http://www.ituc-csi.org ) are as follows:
(1) all the member states of the EU of 27 have ratified all of the ILO's eight core labour Conventions, apart from Estonia and the Czech Republic. These two countries are invited to complete this ratification as quickly as possible, to bring their legislation into line with the Conventions and ensure their implementation in practice.
(2) there are some deplorable “violations” of trade union rights, particularly in some new member states such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. However, they also exist in Germany where, for example, civil servants do not have the right to strike. A widespread and growing problem of anti-trade union discrimination in practice has been observed, and this must be tackled resolutely. In Poland, for example, ITUC points to “intimidation and termination of work contracts without notice”.
(3) measures must be taken to combat gender-based discrimination in EU member states. Pay gaps between men and women are still pronounced, women are under-represented in management positions, often face a higher unemployment rate and are confined to part-time work. The European Commission and the national governments must ensure more effective implementation of the principles of equal pay for equal work, and equal opportunities in employment.
(4) discrimination against Roma ethnic minorities is widespread in almost all the member states of the EU. Better coordinated efforts must be made to prevent this discrimination and improve Roma access to employment and education.
(5) further work must be done towards stamping out child labour in the EU: illegal employment and exploitation of children has been observed in many EU countries, particularly in the informal economy and agriculture. Children below the legal age being put to work has been observed in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Italy and Portugal. Forced labour also remains a relatively substantial problem in practically every EU country: stamping both this and sexual exploitation out completely must be an absolute priority. There is an urgent need for better cooperation between member states with a view to eradicating the trade in human beings in all its forms and to improving the protection of victims of this trade in some countries. (gb)