Brussels, 22/11/2006
The debacle at Volkswagen's Brussels plant shows that protections for workers are inadequate. Yet in recent years in many member states, labour law reforms have been introduced in the framework of a competitiveness agenda that have promoted two tier labour markets rather than exert more influence on company decisions on employment security.
Increasing amounts of workers - often the most vulnerable ones such as women, young workers and migrants - are working under conditions of permanent precarity.
But also so called standard workers are increasingly under pressure of shifts in production methods, the spread of subcontracting and outsourcing, relocation, and volatile financial capital taking over from enterprise.
The ETUC therefore believes that at EU level all relevant stakeholders need to engage in an urgent debate on how to adapt labour law and social policy to fit the modern world of work while providing for fair and decent working conditions and labour standards to all workers on EU territory, and protect workers against overexposure to the whims of the market.
Clearly, the Green Paper addresses only part of the issues, that need to be addressed and the ETUC will make proposals on working time, temporary agency work, European Works Councils (EWC), information and consultation, and restructuring in the consultative period which is now planned.