Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-15-Speech-1-095"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20081215.14.1-095"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, I should like to begin by quoting word-for-word from your document presenting the renewed social agenda. It says, ‘The Commission also calls upon all Member States to set an example by ratifying and implementing the ILO Conventions …’
Today, however, we are here debating a directive intended to go against those criteria by allowing Member States to regulate working weeks of up to 60 or 65 hours averaged over three months.
Is that consistent, Commissioner? Can we legislate against our own recommendations? The purpose of the directive is to lay down minimum rules to ensure workers’ health and safety by means of two instruments: rest periods and a limit on the working week.
It contains exceptions to both cases, but we are not talking about exceptions, Commissioner, as you yourself said. No, we are talking purely and simply about derogations from one of the fundamental elements of the directive.
Flexibility is no justification for this. An increase in working hours cannot be confused with the flexibility that businesses and workers need. The directive will make very ample provision for seasonal patterns, production peaks and the needs of certain activities.
Something that is good for everyone, Commissioner, is attaining the goal of flexicurity, in other words succeeding in reconciling personal and family life with work. For that to happen we must work at developing a culture of cooperation and transparency and allow collective autonomy to play its part in organising working time.
Mr President, when the Council adopted its common position in September, it was a bad day for social dialogue. I am convinced that we would now have an agreement if it had been left to collective autonomy to arrange and organise working time.
I am sure that the day of the vote, when we all face up to our responsibility, will be a good day for everyone.
It is good to reform, but it is also good to preserve those elements that unite us most and divide us least, that strengthen Europe and that can make social Europe emerge empowered from the challenge it now faces. We must press forward with both economic progress and social progress, because they cannot survive separately."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples