Brussels, 18/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - The new framework agreement on parental leave signed on Thursday 18 June by European social partners in the presence of Commissioner Vladimir Špidla is a “significant step forward” for social dialogue since it deals with an issue that is at the centre of people's lives. The agreement will also help better balance work and family life, with parents in a difficult situation, having to juggle career and family responsibilities (see EUROPE 9923).
Commissioner Špidla congratulated the social partners on this agreement, “which once again illustrates the vitality of the European social dialogue”. The agreement is in direct response to one of the objectives in the 2006-2010 roadmap which seeks to make life easier for men and women (see EUROPE 9921) by ensuring women's financial independence while having children. The Commissioner said that the most important point in the new agreement was that it applied also to part-time and temporary workers. He pointed out that the issue of wages during parental leave was a matter for member states. (G.B./transl.rt)