Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-278"
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"en.20020924.12.2-278"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, on the basis of the information concerning the implementation of employment guidelines, the report by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs proposes several improvements, emphasising job creation and training. In the extension of his report on the local dimension of employment adopted by Parliament in July, Mr Schmid rightly insists on the need to develop local and regional job markets. He makes a series of other proposals with which I agree, and I would like to join previous speakers in congratulating him.
Having said that, I still want to emphasis that, although the European employment strategy has gradually transformed conditions for drafting and implementing national employment policies and enabled better coordination with economic policies, it has not, however, contributed to kick-starting growth or fundamentally changing the employment situation. So, is this a question of method or a matter of choice?
The Heads of State and Government have opted for liberal choices by favouring the speeding-up of deregulation and liberalisation, wage moderation, and flexibility and insecurity in the labour market. I therefore believe that the chasm has deepened between the stated objectives on employment and social life within our committee here and the guidelines for the economic policies implemented in each EU Member State. Allow me to give a few pertinent examples. In France, restructuring is being speeded up, and redundancies and relocation are being imposed in several sectors. A substantial number of redundancies are due to take place in the new economy following the bursting of the IT bubble. Thousands of Vivendi group employees are anxious. They know that they will not have the same redundancy payments as their former employer, Jean-Marie Messier. Daewoo, which received bonuses and subsidies in Lorraine, is now moving to China. Total Fina Elf, which has made huge profits, is skimping on compensation to casualties of the AZF disaster in Toulouse and is considering a social plan involving 1500 employees of its subsidiary, Atofina. Alcatel has announced 23 000 job losses by the end of 2003. In the textiles sector, within Alstom and Avantis, businesses have closed or are starting to close.
Under these conditions, I believe the problem we are facing is not so much juggling economy, employment and social considerations as the possible need to review the economy. Every day, experience shows us that there can be no true social and employment policy that responds to employees’ interests, the needs of the people, while economic policies remain tightly corseted by the stability pact and remain based on exacerbated competition and reduced labour costs.
Yes, the subject of employment is at the heart of citizens’ concerns and we must do all we can to combat unemployment effectively and create jobs, which to my mind means we must put an end to the dominance of the financial markets.
No real progress can be made, however, if the citizens themselves are not involved in decisions, if there is no effective social dialogue on the challenges of European construction, which are far more wide-reaching than the institutional aspects currently being addressed by the Convention."@en1
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