Brussels, 04/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's employment and social affairs committee decided on Wednesday 2 September to postpone the vote at second reading on the report by Edit Bauer (EPP, Slovakia) on the draft working time directive for road transport workers. Presented by the European Commission with a view to clarifying and amending the current regulations, the text was rejected back in March by the same committee, which was opposed to excluding self-employed workers from the legislation (EUROPE 9969). The European Parliament, which approved the report at first reading in May this year, also took a stance in favour of rejecting the text excluding self-employed workers. Thus, if MEPs adopt the report by Ms Bauer on 29 September, the Parliament's position will be confirmed (although the vote has to be confirmed by plenary), the Commission proposal will be rejected and legislation currently in force (applying to both employees and self-employed) will be maintained. At this stage, the members of the committee are not all of the same opinion, but a majority of the members seems to want the report to be adopted (entailing rejection of the text). The left (S&D, Greens and GUE) as well as the French delegation at the EPP are against the proposal for a directive, the delegation of the Liberals is divided over the matter and only one part of the EPP will vote against the report. The directive would be a failure as far as road safety is concerned as, even if hauliers are subject to common legislation on driving hours, it is important that they also be subject to common legislation on working time in order to ensure they have sufficient rest periods for greater safety once they take to the road again, Pascale Gruny (EPP, France) states in a press release. She goes on to point out that, if self-employed workers were excluded from the text, this would be “an open door to unfair competition”. Speaking the same day before the EP transport committee, Sweden's Communication Minister Asa Torstensson said she hoped, on behalf of the Swedish EU Presidency, that agreement would be reached on the text. In March, the Council reached a general strategy on the draft directive, taking a majority stance (except France) in favour of excluding self-employed workers from the directive (EUROPE 9872). (A.By./transl.jl)