Brussels, 02/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - The communication on flexicurity, adopted on Wednesday 27 June by the European Commission, aims to modernise labour relations by making the European labour market more flexible, while guaranteeing greater social protection to workers (EUROPE 9455). It has provoked positive comments from the European social partners, which have been, however, accompanied by some regrets. The private employment agencies (Eurociett), which are playing a particularly central role in the implementation of flexicurity policies, are also pleased. Representatives from social NGOs, however, (such as the social and health NGO, Eurodiaconia) had not been taken into account in Commissioner Spidla's communication. Everyone, however, agrees on the imperative to enhance the role of social partners, the key to successfully modernising the EU's labour markets.
The president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (who was one of the architects of flexicurity when he was Danish prime minister in 1993-2002) stated: “Flexicurity is a marriage of flexibility and security. If you want a worker to be more flexible you have to offer new forms of security. Any right-wing government that thinks…flexicurity” is the opposite, “is seriously mistaken”.
The secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), John Monks, regretted the orientation adopted by the Commission in the sense that it pitted protection against job stability, which is an essential right of workers and the basis of productive companies. He said that it was essential that the role of social partners was reinforced, and they were involved in collective negotiations at European and national levels. Concerned at the increase in “precarious jobs” Monks affirmed that “giving companies more freedom to dismiss, which appears to be the core idea of the Communication, will only make matters worse”. Monks said that the real solution to labour market segmentation and social exclusion is “more and better jobs and not precarious jobs for all”.
The employers' side was more generally of the view that it was up to member states to reform their labour markets to increase performance and the number of jobs, and to provide workers with more security. This is the opinion of Businesseurope President Ernest-Antoine Seillière, who stated: “Flexicurity provides the right framework to correct structural weaknesses on European labour markets”. The secretary general of UEAPME (European association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), Hans-Werner Müller, also highlighted the importance of social partners' commitments at all levels, which was a “prerequisite for success”. The secretary general for the European centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP), Rainer Plassmann, shared this viewpoint and urged the Commission and Council to take the central and proactive role of public services into account in the success of flexicurity strategies when following up the communication. (gb)