Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-07-Speech-4-029"
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"en.20021107.2.4-029"2
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". – Mr President, it seems clear that the Reverend Owen's situation does not involve any breach of the letter of European Community law, contrary though it may be to its spirit. The European Parliament is therefore grateful for his petition since it draws attention to a problem with the law.
As the Earl of Stockton has already pointed out, because directives use a variety of terms to identify the range of working people they cover, and because that range is often left to be determined by national law, certain groups may fail to benefit from the protection they afford. It is of course accepted that there can be some differences, both in the extent of employment rights, and in the means of redress in the event of breach. This is particularly so where those involved have a particular constitutional status. Members of this or any other parliament would not, for example, be expected to be able to appeal to an industrial tribunal against the decision of the electorate not to return them for a further term.
That said, all those in a working situation should have the fullest possible set of rights with deviations permissible only where these can be fully and objectively justified. In the case of the clergy, such rights may not be for the secular authorities to determine, but surely in such instances the churches themselves should aspire to the highest possible standards, particularly where avenues of redress and issues of discrimination are concerned.
Following the petition we are asking the Commission to review European employment legislation to ensure that it is as comprehensive as possible. It is good to know that, in the UK, such coverage is something to which the Department of Trade and Industry is already directing its attention.
We are also asking for constructive dialogue across the European Union to secure for all those in non-typical but economically dependent working situations – including, where necessary and by appropriate means, the clergy – all the employment rights, both substantive and procedural, that must be regarded as fundamental to a dignified working life."@en1
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