Brussels, 29/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - All citizens should be able to have a common raft of social rights and lifelong professional training no matter under which type of contract they are employed. This was the main message from the European Parliament to the EU27 member states in a report on moving towards the common principles of flexicurity: more and better quality jobs through a combination of flexibility and security, adopted by an overwhelming majority on 29 November (486 to 92 with 49 abstentions). In this process, the EP identified a balanced series of principles with the aim of reconciling companies' needs for flexibility in order to rapidly adapt to a changing business environment with security for the career of workers. This 'set of principles' should be adopted by the European Council on 13-14 December 2007. Once adopted by the summit in December, the principles will be added to the employment and growth guidelines and then added to the member states' national reform programmes. The main principles include the need for a qualified workforce which is capable of adapting to change; the introduction of measures to combat precarious employment and abusive employment practice; removing the fragmentation of the labour market; promoting job security and improving security at work; managing change through partnership (among the government, social partners and civil society); gender equality and equal opportunities for all; the introduction of national consultation tools with the social partners (employers and trade unions) ; and a macroeconomic framework that fosters growth and employment.
The MEPs regretted the lack of progress at Council level in various issues like the working time directives, temporary work, seconded workers and European Works Councils. They said the Council should take a balanced approach to flexicurity by including basic principles like secure, adjustable contracts, investing in lifelong learning and national rights for all workers irrespective of their employment contract.
The EPSCO Council on 5-6 December should adopt the following basic principles, explained Council representative Manuel Lobo Antunes: it should take account of the different situations in the different member states with their differing sized labour markets, and should correct their segmentation, social dialogue and, above all, guaranteeing compatibility among policies regarding public finance. Once the principles have been adopted, said Antunes, it will be possible to make progress with the Lisbon strategy. He added that the social partners had to be involved when defining any flexicurity measures. He also highlighted the need to count on ordinary people mobilising themselves around the strategy. He called on the MEPs to assist in the task since the MEPs are close to citizens and policies at the same time. Manuel Lobo Antunes concluded by saying that the vital aspect was that of flexibility and security, which had to be seen as two factors that were mutually supportive. This aim is backed by the Commission, said EU Social Affairs and Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, adding that the European Council would be deciding on this and the debate would then be taken to national level so that it could then be implemented. Spidla highlighted the costs of flexicurity, which are much lower than the cost of unemployment, for example. He said it was a case of using flows of finance in the best way. Flexicurity is based on permanent contracts, explained the commissioner, adding that suitable welfare coverage was also required. Spidla concluded by describing the Christensen Report as very important and making a highly positive contribution to the debate surrounding flexicurity.
According to the rapporteur Ole Christensen (PES, Denmark), the balanced report reflects the views of all the EP's political groups, recognising the fact that there is no simple solution for everyone. He pointed out that 6% of workers in the EU today are working poor and 12% are employed under precarious conditions. To answer challenges like undeclared work and the working poor, Christensen said the focus should be placed on Social Europe, on more better quality jobs, not to the detriment of pay. He said permanent contracts should be the norm. The rapporteur concluded that he hoped that at the EP it would be possible to scrap a number of myths circulating about flexicurity. A competitive social Europe is required, he said, hoping that the Council would respect all the EP's conditions placed on flexicurity.
Olle Schmidt (ALDE, Sweden) said that in order for Europe to be able to give work to workers, decent work was required, along with Europe that was in a growth station. Giovanni Berlinguer (PES, Italy) said it was urgent to set out what the economic measures were for the application of the said standards and to set out the genuine resources. Tadeusz Zwiefka (EPP-ED, Poland) pointed out that the EU's action should follow the principle of subsidiarity under Article 5 of the Treaty. José Albino Silva Peneda (EPP-ED, Portugal) said that the EU should implement a reform to make the economy competitive at global level and such a reform could only be properly carried out if the social partners were involved. Stephen Hughes (PES, United Kingdom) noted that the Commission's report tended to highlight job security rather than employment security, but the MEPs were stressing both aspects. He regretted that the term 'flexicurity' is often viewed askance by citizens, who see it as a way of allowing companies to sack people more easily without compensation for workers. Bernard Lehideux (ALDE, France) said flexicurity only had meaning if there is trust between employers and workers. Elisabeth Schroedter (Greens/EFA, Germany) said that she didn't want to deregulate social rights in Europe to the detriment of workers to make Europe competitive. Roberta Angelilli (UEN, Italy) said flexibility was required with guarantees but without giving up on the European social model.
Summing up, Manuel Lobo Antunes said that security meant focussing on people and their skills and qualifications and on protecting people's families and quality of work. Vladimir Spidla said the debate had shown that flexicurity does not involve applying the same model to all member states. (G.B.)