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Printed: 26.04.2024.
PrintTowards social Europe: the EU states agreed on European Pillar of Social Rights
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.
See our publications on EU’s social issues:
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: