Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-23-Speech-3-350"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050223.21.3-350"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, problems relating to the steel industry appear regularly on Parliament’s agenda, even though the complex period of large-scale restructuring in this sector is now over, at least in Western Europe, and even though the European steel industry is generally competitive. It is true that companies in this sector are still adapting to economic competition and to global market conditions, however, and this is why restructuring has been carried out so regularly in this sector.
There is also a need to strengthen social dialogue at sector level, and this dialogue must supplement Community industrial policy. Different forms of social dialogue need to be developed, with the main one with regard to preparation for and management of change and restructuring being collective bargaining. The social agenda depends on the creation of a non-binding optional Community framework, which would facilitate the conclusion of supranational collective agreements and represent a specially adapted instrument for restructuring at European, and even global level.
These are a few elements of the strategy which we should like to develop in partnership with the other Community bodies, the social partners, public authorities at all levels and all those for whom the strategy is intended. I am aware that this kind of political initiative does not provide a direct and immediate answer to those affected by the restructuring of the plant in Terni. The existing Community policies and instruments, for which we aim to achieve even greater effectiveness in the future, can now be used to deal with the social consequences of the decision, which I hope, in spite of everything, can still be altered in some way following dialogue with all the parties involved. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention.
I should first of all like to emphasise that the generally satisfactory state of the European steel industry at present is undoubtedly based on the capabilities of businesses and their workers, as well as on a general capability to adapt to changing conditions. These capabilities have been demonstrated in the past, and I am sure they will be demonstrated again in the future. It is essential that this sector, in common with all industrial sectors and services, adapts constantly, and these adaptations form the basis of future prosperity. Yet this does not mean that we can forget our collective responsibility for ensuring that the process of change takes into consideration the men and women who work in the sector.
The reason for today’s debate in this House is again the ThyssenKrupp plant in Terni. Parliament discussed the future of this plant a year ago, and it appeared that negotiations would end happily, since the company abandoned the plans it had announced a few weeks earlier to close the plant, or at any rate postponed these plans. Yet now it unfortunately appears that ThyssenKrupp intends to put its original ideas into practice. It is not for the Commission to judge whether a decision of this kind is economically justified, or to become directly involved in this process in any way, unless Community rules are infringed. Nothing points to this being the case at present. The Commission is not in possession of any information that would lead it to believe that the company is contravening the standards applied in such cases, whether these be standards governing working relationships or standards in other fields. As far as we are aware, no complaints or statements have been submitted in this respect. If this were to happen, the Commission would of course take the appropriate steps in execution of the powers conferred to it on the basis of the Treaty.
Economically speaking, we may bemoan the decision on the fate of this factory and this plant, and we must take account of any negative impact the decision will have on hundreds of people and on the prosperity of the region if it is confirmed. We may regret that the efforts made by officials in the regional administration for over a year, and which I believe should be acknowledged, were not enough to prevent the termination of some of the activities at the plant in Terni. The company is free to make such decisions, however, and as such its decision must be respected. The company’s freedom must be respected, but it also has responsibilities, in particular with respect to the full and effective involvement of the workers and their representatives in the decision-making process. Reference is made to this in several Community directives and in national legislation. and it can only be reiterated that they must be observed even in difficult circumstances such as these.
The company is also responsible for any social consequences that a partial stoppage of production may have. It is likely that the workers affected will be redeployed to other activities within the plant, but in any case solutions other than redundancy should be found, in accordance with well established procedures. If redundancies are essential, steps should be taken to help the affected workers to adapt to the new circumstances. These principles for the management of restructuring were established three years ago by European social partners themselves, on the basis of a Commission request. I can therefore now address broader questions, which reach beyond the bounds of the matters we are looking at today.
The Commission has recently proposed that the Lisbon strategy for growth and employment be renewed. In order for us to achieve this ambitious goal in the context of the significant economic and social changes we are currently experiencing, we must successfully overcome the problems of restructuring.
The social agenda adopted by the Commission a fortnight ago also includes measures which will help our companies, our workers and all other parties involved in the process of change to put any advantages to the best possible use, and to resolve any problems.
In a few weeks’ time I intend to propose that the Commission should adopt a communication on the European Union’s general strategy for the management of restructuring and an ambitious programme to enhance the potential for economic renewal and make provision for related problems. The key phrase in this strategy will be preparing for the future at all levels. The Union has developed policies, programmes and instruments to make it easier for companies and workers to adapt to the changing world. These include an employment policy, an industrial policy, social dialogue, Community legislation and financial support instruments. It is now time to coordinate these different aspects more effectively and to develop new, future-oriented approaches, making it possible to anticipate future developments and enabling individual players to prepare for the future.
I should like to emphasise that preparing for change at all levels, and in particular at sector, local and company level, is primarily dependent upon partnership and social dialogue. I propose that the Commission should use this communication to entrust European social partners with the task of implementing the second phase of consultation on two major themes, namely on the role of European works councils as mediators of change, and on the use of general principles laid down by social partners on the management of restructuring."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples