Employment, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Modern EU

For the European Commission, creating a deeper and fairer internal market is an essential component of building a more “social Europe”. Reforming the existing rules on the posting of workers was one of the key initiatives to achieve this; it was outlined in President Juncker’s Political Guidelines of 2014. He then underlined that the Posting of Workers Directive was important and that the Commission would initiate a review of the Directive to ensure that social dumping had no place in the EU states. In the modern EU, he added “the same work at the same place should be remunerated in the same manner”.

In the 2015 State of the Union address, President Juncker first mentioned the idea of a European Pillar of Social rights, arguing that social rights should “take account of the changing realities of European societies and the world of work”.

Then, a first outline of the Pillar was presented on 8 March 2016, followed by a broad consultation with the member states, EU institutions, social partners, civil society and citizens. In April 2017, the Commission presented a final text, which contains 20 principles and rights to support fair and well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems, serving as a compass for a renewed process of convergence towards better working and living conditions among EU states.

In the President’s State of the Union on 13 September 2017, he specifically added that “in the Union of equals, there should be no second class workers”.

The Commission put forward a formal proposal to amend the 1996 Posted Workers Directive in March 2016. The proposal was built on the principle of “equal pay for equal work at the same place”, and set out that posted workers would, generally, benefit from the same rules governing pay and working conditions as local workers. The proposal complemented the 2014 Enforcement Directive on Posted Workers, which introduced new instruments to combat fraud and abuse, and to improve administrative cooperation between national authorities in charge of posting.

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/modern_eu/?doc=133512&ins_print;

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/editors_note/?doc=18486&ins_print;

Commissioner Marianne Thyssen, in charge of Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, welcomed the agreement and said (24.x.2017), that the Council’s decision marked an important step forward for social Europe.

She added that a unanimous endorsement of the European Pillar of Social Rights showed that all EU states are committed to striving for better working and living conditions in the Union, in light of such challenges as ageing society, globalisation and digitalisation.

As for the agreement on posting of workers, she confirmed the Commission’s position that workers should earn the same pay for the same work in the same place. It is a fair decision on both sides: e.g. for the posted workers, who deserve equal working conditions, and for local workers and employers who don’t want to be undercut on wages.

Besides, it shows that European states can come together and reach a fair and balanced agreement. 

Perspectives

The Pillar will be proclaimed by the Parliament, the Council and the Commission at the Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth, taking place on 17 November 2017 in Gothenburg. The Council also agreed on a general approach regarding the Commission's proposal to revise the rules on the posting of workers.

In 2018 the Commission will launch a European Labour Authority, in line with President Juncker’s 2017 State of the Union address, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between labour market authorities at all levels and better managing cross-border situations.

The Commission will also propose some initiatives in support of fair mobility, including a European Social Security Number, to make social security rights more visible and (digitally) accessible.

The agreements reached during last months in the European Parliament’s Employment Committee and present decision in the Council, confirm the strong political commitment to make the EU internal labour market fairer with easier rules to enforce. The Commission calls on the Parliament and the Council to seize this momentum and to swiftly continue the discussions with the Commission, to finalise the agreement and formally adopt the proposal.

For more information: = Press release on the Commission's proposal for a European Pillar of Social Rights; = Press release on the Commission's proposal to revise the 1996 rules on posted workers; = EU factsheet on posted workers, and = Country factsheets on posted workers

Source: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-4068_en.htm?locale=en; and Latvian version:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-4068_lv.htm