European Parliament vote on modernising labour law vindicates ETUC call for a more balanced approach

Brussels, 12/07/2007

In early May, the ETUC strongly criticised the EP's original draft report on the Commission's Green Paper on modernising labour law, which was a flawed and oversimplified analysis of current problems in Europe's labour markets. It blamed traditional labour law for standing in the way of employment opportunities, without giving the growing numbers of precarious workers around Europe any real prospect of better jobs.

The ETUC welcomes the European Parliament's clear message to the European Commission that the modernisation of labour law must cover adequate protection, equal treatment and quality jobs for all workers, including non-standard and precarious workers, and that indefinite contracts must remain the norm. The EP also addresses the important issue of enforcement of labour standards, and of taking action at all relevant levels including the European level.

"We now look forward to the Commission taking this message on board when following up on its Green Paper," said ETUC General Secretary John Monks. "The Lisbon agenda is about more and better jobs for all. Good quality contracts in terms of security, protection and rights are an important dimension of good quality jobs. It is high time the Commission called a halt to the pointless debate about the perceived contradiction between job security and employment security, setting workers against one another. In the 21st century, all workers need both job security and employment security, as well as 'transition security' between jobs: an issue we are currently addressing in the framework of the flexicurity debate."