A3-0079/94

Resolution on employment in Europe

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its resolution of 8 July 1992 on the European labour market after 1992,

-having regard to its resolutions of 15 December 1993 on the conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 10/11 December 1993 and of 19 January 1994 on the legislative programme for 1994,

-having regard to the motions for resolutions tabled by:

(a)Mr Glinne and Mr Vandemeulebroucke on employment growth based on the alternative economy (B3-0989/93)

(b)Mr Lafuente López on a Community solidarity fund for employment (B3-1671/93),

-having regard to the Commission report on employment (COM(93)0314),

-having regard to the Commission communication on a Community-wide framework for employment (COM(93)0238 - C3-0231/93),

-having regard to the Commission White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment (COM(93)0700),

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Council of 10 and 11 December 1993 (SN373/93),

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Employment and the Working Environment and the opinions of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Women's Rights (A3-0079/94),

A.whereas, given the level of integration between our economies, it is no longer possible to regard the unemployment situation in the twelve Member States as twelve separate national problems,

B.whereas the debate on employment in Europe cannot be seen in isolation from the increasing globalization of the economy,

C.whereas, recognizing the need for free competition and open markets, a constructive dialogue on fair locational competition and the opening of markets should be conducted with the European Union's main competitors, particularly in the Asian Pacific area,

D.whereas the further development of the labour market in the European Union also depends on the social transformation process in the neighbouring states outside the Union and whereas the political opening up of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe has caused a wage gap with considerable effects for the Member States of the European Union and it is therefore necessary that the economic and social development of these states reduces this gap,

E.whereas the level which unemployment is reaching in the European Union calls for a voluntary common policy from the Member States and the Community, which must necessarily depart from the traditional methods of combating unemployment, with particular account taken of the inordinate proportion of unemployed women and young people,

F.whereas the objective of employment for all may not be abandoned under the pressure of difficult circumstances,

G.whereas the policy to combat unemployment, rather than encouraging low wages with a view to competing more effectively with low-wage countries, must stress the importance of high-level training,

H.regretting in this connection that the White Paper, in discussing action to promote employment, merely lists the initiatives and experiences of the Member States and does not draw any conclusions from them as to the priority political initiatives needing to be taken at European Union level,

I.congratulating the Commission on chapter 10 of the White Paper 'Thoughts on a new development model', insisting on a strategy based on sustainable development, and asking for a high level working group for it,

J.whereas the future of European integration depends on the response which the Union is able to give, as a priority, to the problem of unemployment, and particularly youth unemployment,

K.whereas the White Paper rightly stresses the importance of education and training in terms of Community action but seems to leave the Member States in sole charge of the operation of the labour markets, thereby running the risk of impeding the operation of the internal market (by unfair competition, social dumping, etc.),

L.regretting the fact that the Commission makes virtually no reference to the importance of the environment for employment, and whereas, unless environmental protection is tackled vigorously, industry in the Union will lose markets and hence employment,

M.whereas more jobs can be created by shifting the tax burden from paid labour onto fossil fuels, nuclear power, environmental pollution and scarce raw materials,

1.Welcomes the abandonment in the White Paper of the fatalistic acceptance of a continued rise in unemployment and of the assumption that the problem will automatically be solved with renewed growth, but at the same time considers that a vigorous Common Employment Policy is needed in the near future; considers that a change of direction away from traditional economic growth towards sustainable development is not only necessary to save nature and the environment, but also to create more jobs;

2.Welcomes the fact that both the White Paper and the conclusions of the European Council stress the importance of economic solidarity and the preservation of the European social model, but regrets that the White Paper does not deal with the risks for the social security systems of the Community countries of the current deterioration in employment and the possible consequences of the measures proposed;

3.Expresses its concern that in its decisions on the economic guidelines the Ecofin Council concentrates too much on economic growth and does not take sufficient account of the medium-term employment effects and urges that the short-term policy should relate more closely to the medium-term guidelines;

4.Is convinced that the Union can make a contribution of its own to the fight against unemployment by continuing its full support for economic and social cohesion, by the creation of a monetary area, by the concentration of financial resources (Structural Funds, European growth initiative, Community borrowing), by a common research and development policy, by accelerating the Community's technological capacities and strengths, by defining common minimum protection levels for workers, and by coordinating national policies;

5.Demands that the Commission and the Member States pursue sustainable development by gradually changing the economic and political emphasis from chemical agriculture towards biological agriculture, from end-of-the-pipe technologies for industry towards clean production, from motorways towards public transport, from nuclear power/fossil fuels towards energy conservation and renewable energies, from squandering scarce resources towards repairing, reusing and recycling of materials by creating more nature reserve parks and protecting historical city centres;

6.Calls on the Commission in its annual report to make a closer link between employment and sustainable development and employment and the environment;

7.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to prepare forthwith plans for the conversion of all the 'traditional basic industries', to develop the new 'basic industries' (telecommunications, biotechnology, oceanographical engineering, software, information technology, electronics, etc.), to develop the 'alternative economy', to invent and develop services centred on human problems and to define together a strategy on employment policy geared to particular national problems; calls for encouragement to be given to the exchange of experience in the social policy field and financial support for the genuine transfer of know-how in, for example, the fields of care for the elderly and for children;

8.Emphasizes the need to encourage economic development through the creation of a fiscal, administrative and financial environment that is favourable to small and medium-sized undertakings, they being the most dynamic factors in the Community economy;

9.Emphasizes the need to improve the efficiency of the capital market and of the intra-Community payment systems so as to encourage the flow of savings, credits and liquid assets to investment and consumption that generate employment;

10.Emphasizes the need, if job-creating measures are to be financed, for private investors to become involved in viable projects of European interest that can be supported by the European Community, thus reducing the costs and financial risks;

11.Demands that the Council consider questions concerning employment and unemployment on the same footing as macro-economic and financial questions, by returning, for example, to the system of 'jumbo councils'; these Council meetings should involve all ministers responsible for a sector which has particular potential regarding job creation, such as the environment;

12.Welcomes the news that the Commission has set up two working parties in order to work out practical ways of implementing ideas concerning transport/energy and information/telecommunications; believes that a further group must be set up just as quickly with the same composition to make the ideas in Chapters 7, 8 and 9 operational;

13.Advocates a regular, substantially prepared and organized dialogue between all those responsible, to enable a firm and specific commitment to be made to an action plan for employment in accordance with the guidelines set out above;

Education and training

14.Agrees on the importance accorded to occupational training and retraining and the need for constant improvements and on the specific role which the Union has to play in this regard; stresses, however that action on occupational training and retraining must also cover the development and recognition of the highest qualification levels, since by meeting companies' needs for very highly qualified staff it might be possible for jobs to be freed at intermediate level;

15.Calls on the Commission and the Member States,

-in view of the shortcomings in our early training of young people as compared with our direct competitors on the world market, to consider the future of our school system with a view to promoting greater decentralization, diversification, individuality and creativeness, and to set up pilot programmes for particular categories of young people who are at a disadvantage on the labour market,

-in view of the problems in finding jobs for school-leavers because of the lack of qualifications, to extend school education in such a way that school children are taught about theory and practice through the combination of industry-linked and school education (dual system),

-given the shortage of qualified staff to meet the demands of businesses, to create with the assistance of businesses and the two sides of industry a system which encourages the link between learning and work in the context of apprenticeship, in order to facilitate access to the labour market,

-to develop a common policy on continuing training and to guarantee access thereto by means of vouchers, cheques, working time credits, etc.,

-in view of the degree of mobility now possible within Europe, to settle once and for all the question of the equivalence of certificates and study qualifications;

16.Recognizes that the introduction of new technologies demands greater speed and flexibility in businesses and a more qualified workforce at all levels and in this regard considers that the necessary structures must be put in place to enable the European workforce to develop the ability to be successful life-long self-learners;

Functioning of the labour markets

17.In view of the dysfunctioning of the various labour markets, calls on the Commission and the Member States:

(a)to examine, in close cooperation with the two sides of industry the way in which employment services and agencies operate and adapt and how they are trained, with a view to achieving the greatest possible decentralization towards local centres of employment and a more personal approach to each individual,

(b)while recognizing the positive role of public or private temporary employment agencies, to introduce rules to avoid the loss of permanent jobs, wherever possible, and calls on the Council to adopt forthwith the directive on atypical forms of employment,

(c)to give greater support to the specific employment programmes, for example YOUTHSTART, LEDA and ILE etc.,

(d)to ensure that the training programmes co-financed under Objectives 3 and 4 of the European Social Fund respond to the clearly identified needs of the labour markets,

(e)to promote the general flexibility of the employment markets - which are rigid in nature - and a personalized flexibility for workers who desire such an approach, while guaranteeing them adequate protection and taking supportive measures and further expanding supportive structures, particularly the European Employment Services (EURES);

(f)to encourage mobility of instructors and trainees, especially young people and develop exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the Member States' training systems

(g)to ensure the completion, under the Greek presidency, of the procedure for the adoption of the directive on the representation of workers in European undertakings under the Social Protocol, which was launched by the Belgian presidency, primarily in order better to control the resiting of undertakings within the Union; believes that this directive should also provide for measures relating to worker participation;

(h)to consider how far it would be possible to create employment conditions featuring fiscal advantages in the household sector for people particularly hard hit by unemployment, seeing that the needs of families represent a major source of nearby jobs, which might increase in number in the majority of the European Union countries if they were encouraged by administrative provisions and a restriction of compulsory deductions appropriate to the specific nature of these jobs,

(i)to consider how far it would be possible to improve the promotion of the creation of self-employed activities;

18.Is strongly opposed to the idea of systematic deregulation and believes that it is imperative that steps to make national employment markets more flexible be accompanied at Community level by the setting of uniform minimum guarantees for workers and stresses that the flexibility cannot be allowed to put at risk the safety and health of employees;

19.Considers that the deregulation of working conditions is not an efficient way of obtaining greater competitiveness since it will lead to the disappearance of a skilled labour force which is a fundamental condition for the maintenance of a sound industrial fabric;

20.Is convinced of the need for a common migration policy relying on measures agreed with the emigrants' countries to influence the migration pressure; within that framework, Member States should conclude agreements with the emigration countries on the basis of expectations as regards supply and demand on the labour market and at the same time agreements can be made on professional training, appropriate work for trained migrants and voluntary return to the country of origin;

Job sharing

21.Subscribes to the view that the decentralized management of working time under the control of the two sides of industry can be a useful means of matching human resources to needs; believes that reducing working hours encourages a better distribution of available work - there being various options: a four-day or 35-hour week, educational leave, voluntary part-time work - and that it can only be meaningful as part of an active job creation policy; considers, however, that reductions in working time, negotiated at sectoral level, can help to bring down unemployment in the short term, provided that industrial competitiveness is preserved, notably by maintaining and even increasing the utilization of capacities;

22.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote, through sectoral agreements between management and labour, greater use of part-time working as one way of creating additional jobs provided that it is accompanied by social guarantees comparable to those enjoyed by full-time workers, and to take initiatives to encourage the redistribution of labour both on a collective basis (reduction of the daily or weekly working hours) and on an individual basis (career interruption, sabbatical year, parental leave,...);

23.Calls on the Council to adopt forthwith the directive on parental leave;

Labour costs

24.Supports the objective of reducing the non-wage costs of labour to encourage fresh employment opportunities and to discourage the practice of substituting capital for labour; is opposed, however, to any attempt to use this objective as a way of cutting real wages;

25.Advocates, with a view to reducing non-wage labour costs, the exclusion of those elements of social insurance which benefit the general public and should therefore be financed from tax revenue;

26.Believes that a substantial proportion of the tax burden on earned incomes should be drawn from capital market operations which have no real economic basis, inter alia by introducing a tax rate for financial transactions;

27.Points out that productivity can be increased not only by lower wages and employment but also by better organization of work and management, motivation of employees, higher quality products, faster conversion of research results into marketable products and the cultivation of new growth markets, and calls for productivity gains to be used primarily to create jobs;

28.Considers that workers accepting wage restraint in order to permit investment should be entitled to effective participation in the fruits of such investment (for example, in the form of shares);

29.Believes that, to maintain social peace, workers might be given a share of the productive wealth and earnings of undertakings to compensate them for foregoing an increase in real wages to strengthen undertakings;

30.Warns against the idea that cutting minimum wages is a solution in the fight against the shift of investments towards the low-wage producer countries;

31.Advocates fair locational competition with world trading partners, so that economic progress may be used for appropriate social progress;

32.Considers in particular that it is indispensable to provide for a social clause in international trade agreements (such as the Community's generalized system of preferences) based on compliance with the ILO Conventions both in general and more specifically on the freedom of association, the ban on forced labour and the campaign against child labour;

33.Considers that the debate on the effect of unemployment benefits as a potential deterrent against the active search for employment should not obscure the basic problem, namely the shortage of jobs; calls, however, on the Member States to make their unemployment benefit systems more flexible so as to avoid forcing the unemployed into passive resignation (by prohibiting them from undertaking voluntary training, for example) or into a situation where income from paid employment compares unfavourably with that available from benefits or unofficial sources;

34.Considers that Member States should abstain from social and fiscal policies which put working women at a disadvantage or penalize women workers;

35.Believes that the target should be more flexible arrangements and financial relief for the transition from unemployment to profitable employment. This could be made possible by special starting rates for the long-term unemployed and increased acceptability of employment, and by only partial consideration of additional remuneration for the work of people on unemployment or social benefits;

36.Calls on the Commission and the Member States

-to take measures to change the structure of compulsory levies to the advantage of the two factors of production, labour and capital, and to the disadvantage of factors which damage the environment,

-to seek new sources of funding and taxation to make good the fall in social security contributions, in particular by introducing environmental taxes on harmful products for human consumption and taxes on investment income as proposed by the Commission and supported by Parliament since 1989,

-to promote new concepts of work and the organization of less onerous work for businesses and society in accordance with individual wishes, such as out-working, home-working and decentralized production units;

New sources of employment

37.Calls for encouragement to be given for the creation of jobs that meet needs not expressed on the goods and services market (socially useful work), so as to avoid excluding those who cannot find jobs on the labour market; considers also that a new model of development presupposes devising new products materials, tools and even crops (the 'do it yourself sector');

38.Looks for the creation of a 'third sector' in the social economy, financed by the public authorities (even by using a proportion of social expenditure which is at present 'passive') and private contributions, including those of users, who could take part in the management of these initiatives; an ad hoc tax system could be applied as a means of support, depending on the creation of new jobs;

39.Calls upon the Commission to make proposals to extend the LIFE programme. It shall provide the basis for an ECO Job Scheme; such programmes shall provide support for, e.g.:

-innovations in environmental technology in SMEs;

-take-back logistics and recovery technologies;

-energy efficiency systems;

-the clean-up of contaminated land;

40.Undertakes to invite the members of national parliaments who are particularly qualified to discuss questions concerning employment to meet with it in order to explore in a concerted way national or Community projects which are best suited for giving shape to European action to increase employment;

41.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the parliaments of the Member States, the European Trade Union Confederation and UNICE.