Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-06-13-Speech-3-142"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2001-06-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Working time in mobile road-transport activities2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20010613.4.3-142"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2001-06-13-Speech-3-1432
lpv:speaker	lp:Miet Smet2
lpv:spokenAs	member; Conference of Delegation Chairs (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 chair; Delegation for relations with South Africa (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 substitute; Temporary committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine (2000-12-13--2001-11-29)3 member; Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 unknown; Christelijke Volkspartij (1999-07-20--2001-09-30)3 member_of_the_bureau; EPP-ED (1999-10-12--2002-03-07)3 member; EMPL (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 substitute; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, we support this directive. I will not deny that there was a lengthy debate about specific points. The most important bone of contention in our group was the inclusion of the self-employed. The majority of the group supported that view, but even so, unlike the discussions at first reading, where the Commission and Parliament agreed that the self-employed should be included, the debate was much more difficult this time. However, the majority of the group was, as I said, in favour of including the self-employed. Why? Firstly because the self-employed, like any other workers, are obviously entitled to health and safety at work. Secondly, competition. It is not right for businesses, whether independent or working with employees, to compete with each other on working hours, as is the case with the Common Position of the Council and the Commission. A third reason – probably the matter on which the public is rightly most sensitive – is that many regrettable accidents occur, very often due to the fact that people have to work far too many hours and there is too little control. What is more, the control is made even more difficult by tachographs being tampered with. This has a human cost, whether to tourists travelling south or motorists forced off the road by a lorry driver who has fallen asleep at the wheel. I believe it is our duty to adopt a regulation on this at European level. That does not mean it is not still open to discussion. The PPE-DE Group will not be supporting two of the points. Firstly, according to the text discussed in the Commission, employees are to be informed twelve hours or a specified number of hours beforehand and before the end of the previous shift of the start and length of their period of availability. We shall not be supporting that because we believe that the unpredictability of traffic flows makes it really too difficult to organise. The second point is that according to Amendment No 8, employers should count the time a non-driving worker spends sitting next to the driver whilst the vehicle is in motion as working hours. We agree with the Commission that that should continue to be counted as a period of availability and not as working hours."@en1

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