74 Amendments of Agnes JONGERIUS related to 2021/2233(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas in coordinating economic, budgetary, employment and social policies in the Member States, the European Semester must respect rules on sound public finances;aims at a gradual shift of economic policy coordination from dealing with the COVID crisis to laying the foundations for a transformational and inclusive recovery and stronger resilience 1a; whereas many assessments of the Semester suggest low compliance with its recommendations, in part because of the limited enforceability, especially on social policy matters; __________________ 1ahttps://ec.europa.eu/info/business- economy-euro/economic-and-fiscal- policy-coordination/eu-economic- governance-monitoring-prevention- correction/european-semester/european- semester-timeline/2022-european- semester-cycle_en
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the 2022 Joint Employment Report has a stronger focus on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, in line with the commitments of the Action Plan of March 2021 and by the EU Leaders in the 8 May Porto Declaration; whereas its implementation should strengthen the Union’s drive towards a green, digital and fair transition and contribute to achieving upward social and economic convergence, addressing the demographic challenges and it should also contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU upholds the fundamental values of the Treaties and the United Nations, and whereas the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, social affairs and employment, the European Green Deal and povertythe growing inequalities, must be taken into account in the 2022 annual sustainable growth strategy; Country Specific Recommendations; whereas the preamble to the Treaty on European Union defines the overarching goals of economic policy as “the strengthening and the convergence of their economies” and “economic and social progress for their peoples, taking into account the principle of sustainable development”; whereas the fundamental problem of the EU economic governance is that it is still not geared towards specifying and managing these overarching goals, but primarily towards avoiding excessive budget deficits;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the economy has experienced a sharp downturn in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; whereas, according to the autumn 2021 European economic forecast, growth is expected to be 5 % in 2021, 4.3 % in 2022 and 2.5 % in 2023, but the recovery will be heavily dependent on further pandemic deve the impact of the sharp drop of GDP in 2020 on unemployment was mitigated by the policy response, notably the job retention schemes, but also by high temporary inflows into inactivity due to fear of contagion and lockdown measures that induced people to give up job-search; whereas higher increases of unemplopyments1 ; __________________ 1Europea were recorded in Csommission institutional paper of November 2021 entitled ‘European Economic Forecast: Autumn 2021’, p. 2.e countries with looser firing restrictions, dual labour markets, or where short-time work schemes cover a relatively low share of the work force; whereas employment and total hours worked are not yet back to pre-crisis levels;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas according to the autumn 2021 European economic forecast, growth is expected to be 5 % in 2021, 4.3 % in 2022 and 2.5 % in 2023, but the recovery will be heavily dependent on further pandemic developments2a; whereas since the start of the recovery, labour shortages have re-emerged in manufacturing and services (especially in hospitality); whereas the increase in labour shortages may not necessarily imply hiring difficulties due to skills mismatches as vacancies usually react faster than unemployment to cyclical swings; whereas reported shortages in certain occupations in some EU countries/regions coexist with a surplus of qualified workers in others, highlighting the relevance of labour mobility and migration flows; __________________ 2aEuropean Commission institutional paper of November 2021 entitled ‘European Economic Forecast: Autumn 2021’, p. 2.
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas labour supply dropped, due in part to health concerns of workers to come back to high-contact occupations, and lower labour mobility and migration flows linked to restrictions to individual mobility and health risks; whereas labour shortages are also driven by structural trends (e.g. ageing) and other factors that predated the pandemic and have been reinforced since (e.g. poor working conditions in the health sector, or pre- existent limited skills mismatches), reducing further an already insufficient supply of labour;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is placing a heavy burden on familiehouseholds in terms of their everyday lives, working lives and general livelihoods2 ; whereas in-work poverty has increased from 8.5% in 2010 to 9% in 2019 in the EU-27; whereas workers on temporary contracts face a much higher risk of in-work poverty than those on permanent contracts (16.2% vs 5.9%), as do low-skilled workers compared to high-skilled ones (19% vs 4.9%); whereas, in addition, vulnerable groups, including young workers, single parents, people with disabilities, LGBTI, Roma or non-EU born workers are much more likely to experience in-work poverty than the native born; __________________ 22021 report of the Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung entitled ‘Belastungen von Kindern, Jugendlichen und Eltern in der Corona-Pandemie’.
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on young people, with employment rates falling and a considerable decrease in personal income; whereas the previous crisis showed that if young people are not provided with quality traineeships and jobs – based on written agreements and decent working conditions, including a living wage, career counselling and guidance and further training – there will yet again be a high risk that they will be forced to accept precarious jobs, leave their country to find work, or repeatedly enrol in education or training; whereas traineeships must not only be paid but also be limited in length and number so that young people are not trapped in never-ending repeated traineeships and exploited as cheap or even free labour, and without social protection and pension rights; whereas one of the main priorities of the EU should be to avoid another ‘lost generation’ of young people;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas the mental health of young people has worsened significantly during the pandemic, with problems related to mental health doubling in several Member States compared to the pre-crisis level; whereas 64 % of young people in the age group 18-34 years were at risk of depression in spring 2021, partly as a consequence of their lack of employment, financial and educational prospects in the longer run;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
D c. whereas the housing crisis is happening in both wealthy and less wealthy countries, leading to social exclusion and spatial segregation; whereas access to decent and affordable housing is harder for vulnerable groups such as the working poor, women, young people, in particular young unemployed persons, single parents, large families, the elderly, especially those living alone, LGBTIQ persons, migrants, refugees, persons with disabilities, people with physical or psychiatric illnesses, and people from marginalised communities, including Roma;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
D d. whereas according to AMECO3a, the number of countries with a negative development in real wages increased from two in 2019 to thirteen in 2020; whereas real wage levels are still below the crisis- year 2009 level in many EU countries; whereas in order to maintain purchase power of workers, real wages would have to rise by 5% in 2022; __________________ 3ahttps://ec.europa.eu/info/business- economy-euro/indicators- statistics/economic-databases/macro- economic-database-ameco/ameco- database_en
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D e (new)
Recital D e (new)
D e. whereas according to OECD research4a, one-third of overall wage inequality can be explained by gaps in wage-setting practices between firms, rather than differences in workers’ skills; whereas high-wage firms pay about twice as much as low-wage ones for comparable workers; whereas when workers cannot easily move from one firm to another (e.g. because of job search and moving costs), wages are not only determined by workers’ skills but also by firms’ wage- setting practices; __________________ 4a https://www.oecd- ilibrary.org/sites/7d9b2208- en/index.html?itemId=/content/publicatio n/7d9b2208-en
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D f (new)
Recital D f (new)
D f. whereas the green and digital transitions shall lead to some reallocation of employment between tasks and sectors; whereas a reallocation of workers across sectors will be more challenging in terms of skills needs than a reallocation between firms within sectors, and may entail longer unemployment spells;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D g (new)
Recital D g (new)
D g. whereas telework can sometimes blur existing lines between work and private life, implying higher work intensity and difficulties; whereas digital technologies entail risks to quality of employment; whereas people who regularly work from home are more than twice as likely to work in excess of the requisite maximum 48 hours per week; whereas almost 30 % of teleworkers report working in their free time every day or several times a week;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D h (new)
Recital D h (new)
D h. whereas women experienced a steeper fall in working hours than men during the confinement periods, due to differences in the representation of women and men in sectors and occupations affected by the crisis, gender differences in the use of telework, and the fact that women took on the larger share of caring responsibilities; whereas, during the crisis, single women with children experienced larger employment losses than those without; whereas economic, gender, and racial inequalities - as well as the inequality that exists between countries - have increased since the pandemic started;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the EU’s climate targets represent a challenge to the economy and societyclimate change, pollution and environmental destruction have exacerbated inequalities and disproportionately affect the poor and most vulnerable groups, regions and communities; whereas they also present opportunities for businesses and opportunities to redeploy workers, whichchievement of the EU’s climate targets is essential for the European common project and for our future as a society; whereas this process, if wiell mean thaimplemented, should protect socially vulnerable people, families and micro-enterprises; wilhereas a Green Deal focused on investments to make the transition to a decarbonised, climate- neutral ecome under pressurenomy, will not be a good deal for the people if, at the same time, it does not invest in the most vulnerable to ensure a sustainable future for all;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the increased need for funding to strengthen the economy iswill not placinge budgetary constraints on the Member States, if combined with a fair redistribution of wealth and property and an effective progressive tax policy that ends tax fraud and tax evasion; whereas Member States should keep investing and spending in order to maintain the recovery from the pandemic;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas AI potentially offers economic benefits and new opportunities for businesses, while at the same time represents legal and employment related challenges; whereas the application of AI at the workplace could have a negative impact on workers fundamental rights and occupational health and safety minimum standards;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas skilled workers, education, training and further training are of key importance for markets4 ; __________________ 4 Report by SME United, Business Europe and SGI Europe of 13 October 2021 entitled ‘Annual sustainable growth strategy 2022: Social partners’ consultations – Employers’ views.the current crisis has shown evidence that no profession should be a reason for contempt or underestimated; whereas there is a strong demand of workers in specific trades and professions, and both skilled and low- skilled workers develop an essential role in their jobs for society; whereas education and training policies ensure better labour markets integration;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas the current crisis has once again highlighted the importance and the undervalued role of care sector in our societies; whereas unpaid work too often fails to be recognised as work and its economic and social consequences completely ignored;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas 20 % of jobs in Europe are of poor quality and put workers at increased risk regarding their health; whereas 14 % of workers have been exposed to a high level of psychosocial risks; whereas 51 % of EU workers say stress is common in their workplace and nearly 80 % of managers are concerned about work-related stress; whereas 23 % of European workers believe that their safety or their health is at risk because of their work; whereas work-related illnesses and injuries cost the European Union 3.3 % of its GDP5 ; __________________ 5Commission communication of 28 June 2021 entitled ‘EU strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027: Occupational safety and health in a changing world of work’ (COM(2021)0323).
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the well-being of the EU is at the heart of a modern sustainability and economic strategy; points out that the dimensions set out in the annual sustainable growth strategy – social and environmental sustainability, productivity, equity and macroeconomic stability – serve as guiding principles for the developsustainability, social inclusion and well-being of the European people shall be at the heart of the EU economic strategy, as the President of the European Commission has committed; points out that the EU needs a reform of the economic governance that focuses on sustainable development and well-being; highlights the need for social and environmental public investment ofin the national recovery and resilience plans and necessary reforms;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the aim of inclusive and sustainable economic growth must be to weather future crises in the best possible wayprovide shared prosperity for the European citizens, without creating other economic, social or environmental problems, especially for future generations; calls therefore for a deep revision of the current European economic governance, and in particular of EU fiscal rules; stresses that in line with SDG number 8, sustained and inclusive economic growth can drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards; in this sense, believes that a decent work agenda is essential in order to offer opportunities for everyone to get work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace, social protection for families, and better prospects for personal development and social integration;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is concerned that countries were already heavily indebted before the COVID-19 pandemic, that these debts are to be borne by future generboth the proposals and the objectives set by the EPSR Action Plan, fall short regarding the challenges ahead in a context of growing at risk of poverty rate, high inflation, lack of investment in public services, especially in healthcare and educations, and thatwhere some Member States have little room for manoeuvre to support inclusive economic recovery through national measuresat creates shared prosperity; is convinced that additional instruments are needed that do not place a lasting burden on national budgets; financial and legal instruments, and more ambitious objectives, are needed in order to materialise the principles of the EPSR for all; considers that the revised social scoreboard does not properly cover the 20 EPSR principles, and recalls that the European Parliament has asked the Commission to cover the following areas in the Action Plan and in the Social Scoreboard: decent work, social justice and equal opportunities, robust social welfare systems and fair mobility; is convinced that public social and green investments should be excluded from deficit and debt calculation;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Notes that the country-specific recommendations remain focused one- sidedly on narrow concepts of competitiveness instead of on the sustainable development of prosperity and wellbeing, and points out that there is a need for strong parliamentary oversight of the Commission and governments during the process, in order to hinder restrictive, one-sided reform targets;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3 e. Believes that a new investment fund in the scope of the EU budget could be useful in order to ensure higher investments in the long term to promote sustainable and upward convergent development of prosperity and wellbeing in the EU, with the focus on social progress and climate protection, and that in any case national investments concerning the Green Deal, digitalisation, and robust social welfare systems, should be more strongly financed by the EU in light of the reform of the European Semester; considers that fiscal councils and productivity boards should be replaced by councils for the sustainable development of prosperity and wellbeing at the European level, and that there should also be an advisory body, whose analysis could conclude the past European Semester and serve as the informal start of the new European Semester, with its experts being nominated by the European Economic and Social Committee and by the European Parliament;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3 f. Welcomes the Commission proposal for a Social Climate Fund to address the social consequences of the transformation of our societies towards climate neutrality; warns that the instrument proposed is clearly insufficient both in its aims and in its funding; is convinced that the social impact of green policies has to be tackled in a wider manner, and highlights the urgency of adopting instruments that enable all parts of society to enjoy the benefits of a climate-neutral society and protect “people and households”, in particular the most vulnerable ones from both the impact of climate change and pollution, and that prevent them from suffering any negative social consequence that might arise from the implementation of the European Green Deal climate actions; insists that in order to design these new generation game-changer policies, social and environmental policies and objectives must be integrated on an equal footing with economic ones; in this sense, is convinced that the Stability and Growth Pact is outdated and does not offer neither the flexibility nor the architecture necessary to put in place a new Sustainable Development and Social Progress governance in the EU;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 g (new)
Paragraph 3 g (new)
3 g. Believes that future financial instruments focused exclusively on financing the fight against climate change would be too narrow and would not fulfil the wider Treaty objectives of social justice, decent work and sustainable development to improve the lives of all Europeans; stresses that the Social Climate Fund should be considered as the right tool to enable future investment capacity of the EU, it could be financed in a similar fashion than the RRF, and the access to this Fund would depend on compliance with the economic, social and environmental targets set for each Member State, and respect of the no environmental or social harm principle; points out that investments approved through the Social Climate Fund should be excluded from the deficit and debt calculation;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 h (new)
Paragraph 3 h (new)
3 h. Supports a more democratic semester process, with the Council and the European Parliament deciding on the Country Specific Recommendations on equal footing; firmly believes that the reform of economic governance needs to go hand in hand with the reinforcement of the social dimension, social minimum standards (especially for unemployment insurances), and a Social Progress Protocol at the level of EU primary law, prioritising fundamental social rights (including trade union rights), ahead of market freedoms, the consolidation of the principle of equal pay and equal working conditions for equal work in the same place (especially in connection with tackling wage and social dumping effectively), and ensuring the autonomy of social partners; in addition, believes that gender equality policies must be anchored and mainstreamed in all phases of economic governance;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 i (new)
Paragraph 3 i (new)
3 i. Warns once again that quality employment is still not captured in the social scoreboard, as it does not include indicators like unionization rate and collective agreement coverage, stress at work, suicide rate or professional occupational diseases; reminds the Commission that the AROPE indicator does not capture inequalities, especially wealth inequalities, accurately and that there are still lacking indicators on the evolution of wages compared to the evolution of profits, the wage dispersion or the labour share of income compared to the capital share; moreover, points out that equal opportunities only capture gender and access to education and that inequalities are not reflected other than the AROPE indicator and the poverty related with the low work intensity; is worried that the indicator on the integration of people with disabilities refers only to employment rate of people with disabilities, and that the housing cost overburden indicator does not capture the real problem of the lack of access to housing, the evolution and speculation of the housing market, and how it is impacting the access to housing for all; stresses that the housing cost overburden indicator should be lowered from 40% to 25% in order to reflect more accurately, the situation of middle and low income households; in addition, points out that on public services, there is only the indicator on public expenditure but the scoreboard does not capture universal access, quality or services provided, and it does not include the number of people without social protection for example; finally highlights that the adequacy of pensions, adequacy of minimum income, and adequacy of unemployment benefits, are not even considered; asks the Commission to revise the indicators and to make them reflect all the principles of the EPSR;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 j (new)
Paragraph 3 j (new)
3 j. Is concerned about the difficulties for the analysis of social indicators due to the excessively long time-lag, and urge the Commission to draw up more stringent and clear conclusions about the results, even if one or a few Member States have not provided the required data;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 k (new)
Paragraph 3 k (new)
3 k. Acknowledges the proposal for a Social Imbalances Procedure; however, considers that in the framework of the new Semester for Sustainable Development and the proposed Sustainable Development and Social Progress Pact, the Commission and the Member States should work with the European Parliament on a Social and Ecological Wellbeing Procedure (SEWP), to be established through a decision by the Council and the European Parliament, in order to monitor progress towards the related SDGs and possible social and environmental imbalances; believes that this procedure should focus on the prevention of the negative impacts of political choices on socio-ecological progress and well-being, and it should include social taxonomy to improve living standards and identify economic activities making a substantial contribution to social objectives, including the principle of no social harm; considers that companies and investors should prevent any social harm from being done, and it should be monitored that companies implement systems to ensure human rights are respected, and that investors help improve working conditions and the provision of basic goods and services, especially for vulnerable people and groups; stresses that this socio-ecological procedure should trigger changes in other policy areas like taxation, transport, corporate governance, competition, single market, etc., in order to prevent negative spill overs from political choices in other areas, and in line with the spirit of article 9 TFEU that every policy and activity must contribute to the achievement of socio-ecological objectives or else be changed;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 l (new)
Paragraph 3 l (new)
3 l. Believes that social taxonomy in the new semester, should include a monitoring system of sustainability risks with the focus on: complying with recognised labour standards, fulfilling employment-related safety and health protection requirements, ensuring appropriate remuneration and fair working conditions, ensuring workplace diversity, providing training and development opportunities, respecting trade union rights and freedom of assembly, guaranteeing adequate product safety, including by protecting workers’ health applying the same requirements to supply chain businesses as to others, and ensuring that projects are inclusive and take the interests of communities and social minorities into account; calls on the Commission to revise the Taxonomy Regulation in order to include a social taxonomy with social objectives, and a framework defining the substantial contribution and the do no significant harm criteria for these objectives; supports that this is also included in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive as well as those on sustainable corporate governance, mandatory human rights and due diligence;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is convinced that bureaucratic obstaclobstacles like labour shortages, hinder economic growth; calls on the Commission to recommend reforms to all Member States for immediate implementation to cut red tape and simplify access to funding opportunitiesand Member States for immediate implementation of a comprehensive set of policies to tackle labour shortages, focusing on living wages, improving working conditions, strengthening labour mobility in the EU, facilitating the integration of migrants into the labour market, and simplify access to funding opportunities for SMEs; calls for strengthening the European Qualifications Framework for the adequate recognition of competences and qualifications obtained outside the European borders; calls furthermore on the Member States to recognize, validate and certify existing formal and non- formal competences, talents and know- how, of migrants from third-countries; underlines the importance of guaranteeing to all third-country nationals and in particular, girls and women, young people, LGBTI and persons from a disadvantaged backgrounds, access to formal, informal and non-formal education, and life-long quality training;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Highlights that the COVID-19 crisis has already left many young people jobless or in precarious employment; calls on the Commission and Member states to fight against youth unemployment and to ensure that young people receive adequate and quality first working experience; calls on the Commission to guarantee access for young people to paid quality traineeships and apprenticeships, and condemns the practice of unpaid internships as a form of exploitation of young workers, and a violation of their rights; calls on the Commission to put forward a legal framework for an effective and enforceable ban on such unpaid internships, traineeships and apprenticeships;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Calls on the Commission to review existing European instruments such as the Quality Framework for Traineeships, and the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships, and to include quality criteria for the offers made to young people, including the principle of fair remuneration for trainees and interns, access to social protection, sustainable employment and social rights;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Highlights that a slow reallocation and skills mismatches may lead to major disruptions of the process of linking vacant jobs to jobless people, and can lead to higher structural unemployment; points out that policy needs to support workers to find jobs, which require different qualifications from those of their previous occupations; calls on the Commission to present a proposal that offers an allowance scheme for the obtention of qualifications to every adult in need that wants to enrol in vocational training or tertiary education, and which covers educational costs and essential needs of the person and his/her dependants;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Stresses that improving employment and working conditions of groups most negatively affected by the pandemic, would contribute to preventing the scarring effects of unemployment and inactivity, and the rise of inequalities; believes that the combination of high collective bargaining coverage and unionization rates, well-financed active labour market policies, and generous social benefits, are essential instruments to fight in-work poverty;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4 e. Believes that pay transparency rules are an important instrument raising awareness of pay discrimination against women, can provide the right to information on pay levels by gender, require companies to report information on employment and pay by gender, and incentivise them to undertake gender pay audits; highlights that equal pay for work of equal value measures are particularly important for certain countries with large initial gender wage gaps early in worker careers;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises the central role in the EU strategic framework of health and safety at work; notes that prevention so as to ensure safe and healthy working conditions contributes to the health of workers in order to maintain productivity and competitiveness; , and it also improves productivity and competitiveness; calls on the Commission to guarantee that all workers, including non-standard workers, workers in platform companies and the self-employed, are covered by a new directive on minimum health and safety requirements for the protection of mental health at the workplace;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission to propose a new directive on mental health, to prevent the proliferation of psychosocial risks at work and to ensure the well-being of workers; believes that binding regulation is key to efficiently prevent mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, burnout and post-traumatic stress, as well as for their recognition as occupational diseases; considers that minimum requirements for remote work should be addressed under this directive to ensure workers can exercise their right to disconnect, regulate the use of existing and new digital tools for work purposes, and clarify working conditions of teleworkers, that must be equivalent to those of comparable workers;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Calls on the Commission to present a new directive on the use of AI at the workplace, to prevent negative impacts that digitalisation and new sophisticated technologies have in the world-of-work; recalls that the pandemic has only highlighted the risks of a new digital economy, that is transforming the nature and organisation of work, and have dire consequences on the working conditions, increasing control, surveillance and pressure, work-loads and the working hours, creating work-complexity, eradicating transparency and social interaction, and deeply affecting the health and safety of workers; considers that by addressing issues such as privacy, vigilance and tracking, non- discrimination and ethical aspects, the EU must protect workers against surveillance at the workplace; highlights that tracking apps to monitor workers as well as recruitment discrimination due to the use of algorithms, or employment screenings services in breach of data protection, represent dangerous trends and have to be urgently tackled; points out that the use of employment screening services is in breach of data protection and puts any applicant in a vulnerable position in recruitment processes; stresses that workers data that is not related to the performance of the job, should be banned from being collected, shared, processed or traded, and that private employment screening services should be banned;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that increasing purchasing power is a guaranteed means of ensuring further economic recovery, however, wages in general will grow below inflation for the year to come, thus workers will lose spending power; warns that purchasing power of wages could stagnate or even fall as energy, housing and food prices continue to rise again, and that minimum wage policy alone might not be enough to protect low- income households from being negatively affected by raising prices of services and essential goods; stresses that, in order to enlarge the middle income household share, this should be combined with policies strengthening collective bargaining coverage and unionization, in order to rebalance power among different groups in society;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Is concerned that despite recent minimum wage increases in many Member States, statutory minimum wages often remain low compared to other wages in the economy, and many are well below the 60% of the median wage of the country; calls on the Commission to present an action plan for the achievement of 90% collective bargaining coverage of workers in the EU, which is key in achieving decent living wages across the Union; considers that the use of temporary contracts has to be limited, and precarious contracts like zero hour contracts should be banned in the EU;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure access to decent housing for all, through National Affordable Housing Plans included in the National Reform Programmes with the provision of sufficient adequate and affordable social housing, to cover the housing needs of the three bottom quintiles of society and to reduce by half the overburden housing costs of these groups by 2030; stresses that the Commission and the Member States should implement a standard that, at least 30% of all new housing projects receiving public support, should be affordable housing for lower-income group, and at least 30% affordable housing for the middle-income group;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Welcomes the attention to LGBTIQ homelessness, particularly LGBTIQ youth homelessness, in the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy; invites the Commission to tackling the problem of LGBTIQ homelessness between Member States;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Highlights that the EU institutions and Member States have made a joint commitment to work towards the goal of ending homelessness by 2030, and welcomes the launch of the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness; calls on the Commission to develop an ambitious work programme for the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness, which should include country-specific analysis and recommendations on addressing homelessness; calls on Member States to take urgent measures to address homelessness in the context of the 2022 Semester, mobilising the MFF, RRF and national funds;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7 d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to guarantee universal access to free public education 0-3 in the EU, which would contribute to equal opportunities for the next generation as well as to an increase of the labour market participation of women; insists on the importance of transposing the Work- Life Balance Directive in order to provide an equal access and balanced use of leave arrangements by men and women, which will allow parents with children or workers with dependent relatives, to better balance caring and professional responsibilities;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that families are the main victims of the COVID-19 pandemic; calls on the Commission to introduce a 25/25 child cost allowance; stresses that the amount will be split between aStresses that the eradication of child poverty and ensuring wellbeing and equal opportunities for children, must be among the highest priorities for Europe; calls on the Commission to work towards the urgent implementation of the European Child Guarantee, ensuring a dedicated budget of €20 billion to this task, in order to combat poverty affecting children and their families; recommends that this is accompanied by an European Framework Directive on Minimum Income Schemes, to contribute to the goal of reducing poverty by at least half in all Member States, complemented by meaningful family allowance; stresses that the EU Child Guarantee framework should cover gaps in national legislations and ensure its provisions are applicable not just to residents or nationals of EU member states, but also to children who are refugees or asylum seekers, and children who are citizens of one EU country but living in another EU country (intra-EU mobile citizens), such as children of Roma families, who are often at the highest risk of poverty and the most disadvantaged in accessing rights and services; believes that the Child guarantee should be extended, in order to complement the increase of the national child allowance schemes under the responsibility of the Member States and, with a direct EU benefit; stresses that families need this money, and that theyincreasing the amount and coverage of family benefits and social transfers for families at risk of poverty or social exclusion, should be prioritised, as they need this money and would spend it and in turn contribute to the economy;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that a 25/25is complemented child allowance is an economic stimulus package that is geared towards people, combats poverty, generates purchasing power, and provides incentives that favour demographic change;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Highlights that all children are entitled to enjoy human rights and a safe environment as essential conditions, in order to prevent early school leaving, protect their mental health, and participate fully in society and in the labour market; regrets that, in this regards, LGBTI children are often victims of bullying and violence in schools. and that this has a serious effect on their well- being; believes that anti-bullying policies as well as children’s access to information concerning sexual orientation and gender identity, should be an integral part of the education systems;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need to ensure social equality in employment relationshipsequality between women and men in employment relationships and in society in general, as an essential to achieve a prosperous economy and a strong democracy; Recalls the EU’s commitment to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of the right of every individual and of every woman and girl, to have full control and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality and sexual and reproductive rights, free from discrimination, coercion and gender-based violence; calls on Member States to prohibit and take effective measures without delay to prevent all forms of discrimination against racialised women, including ethnic segregation in health facilities, and to guarantee universal access to quality sexual and reproductive healthcare free from discrimination, coercion and abuse, and to address remedy and prevent human rights violations affecting them;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses the highly damaging and diverse health consequences of sexual and gender-based violence, which has been shown to have the potential to lead to severe physical and mental health consequences; calls, therefore, for proper protection and adequate resources for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, with an increase in resources and effective action to that end;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Considers that workers involvement in company matters is essential, in order to ensure sustainable corporate governance and to prevent shortages of strategic goods and the delocalisation of production; Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish the necessary conditions and requirements, in order to have at least 80 % of corporations covered by sustainable corporate governance agreements by 2030, establishing strategies agreed with workers in order to positively influence environmental, social and economic development through governance practices and market presence, improve directors’ accountability as regards integrating sustainability into corporate decision-making, and promote corporate governance practices that contribute to company sustainability, with reference inter alia to corporate reporting, board remuneration, maximum wage ratio difference, board composition and stakeholder involvement;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. Believes that a strong industrial base needs a level playing field for companies, with fair tax rules, strong incentives for innovation, high environmental standards and good working conditions; considers that trade unions must be involved in developing industrial strategy at all levels, and particularly in meeting the challenges of digitalisation, climate change, restructuring and globalisation; calls for a directive on binding human rights, due diligence and responsible business conduct, including workers’ rights such as the right of association, the right to collective bargaining, the right to health and safety, and social protection and good working conditions, establishing mandatory due diligence covering companies’ activities and their business relationships, including supply and subcontracting chains; stresses that this directive should ensure the full involvement of trade unions and workers’ representatives in the whole due diligence process, and should guarantee the right to reach collective agreement at the relevant levels on the due diligence policies; underlines that both national labour inspectorates and the European Labour Authority (ELA), must be able to conduct joint inspections throughout the chain, open to filing complaints, and able to offer support for compliance, in relation to all EU companies and companies wanting to access the internal market; calls on the Commission to insist on the ratification of ILO Conventions 81 (labour inspection) and 129 (labour inspection in agricultural sector) by all trading partners of the EU;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to ensure the economy is crisis-resistant, to attract investment and entrepreneurship and to ensure a fair and social EU with well-paid jobs; work towards economic resilience, to promote public investment in strategic sectors and in social welfare systems, to protect entrepreneurship and SMEs, and to ensure social progress in the EU with well-paid jobs; emphasises that the general "escape clause" allows national governments to support their economies through uncapped spending and borrowing policies, and that it should be maintained in order to favour a robust recovery; in this sense, calls on the Commission and on the Member States to recognise and tax properly, in particular, the rent income and the excessive and unsustainable profits enjoyed by a small minority of individuals and multinational companies, thanks to the artificially created monopolistic positions emerging in a number of essential markets and sectors of the economy, and especially across the value chains developing in the context of the new digital revolution, often to the detriment of workers’ rights and fair wages; warns about the urgent need of stringent financial and corporate regulation in the EU in order to protect workers, SMEs and the public interest; calls on the Commission to ensure minimum corporate tax rates at 25% for transnational corporations and come forward with efficient tools to enable a fair allocation of profits of multinational companies, to be taxed where the value is created;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the need to address skillsqualification shortages; notes that some of these shortages are holding back productivity and economic growth; expresses concern that digital skills in the EU need to play catch up and that this is reflecteddemands that EU education systems become more uniform and qualifications more widely recognised; Highlights that, in a context of shrinking working age population, policies that bring more people into the shortage of IT professionlabour market are essentials; emphasises the importance of focusing vocational training on the digital and green transitions; demands that EU training content become more uniform and qualifications more widely recognisedbelieves that the integration of migrants into the labour market will have a positive impact on labour supply, reduce labour shortages, and will support higher employment rates; considers that this has to be combined with other policies that enable healthier working lives, improve working conditions, and better adapt labour markets to the changing needs of workers over their life time;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses thate importance that vocational training, education and research are key to economic policy; , play on the digital and green transitions as well as the health and care sectors, among others;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that the transition to a low-carbon economy must be based on a social market economy; stresses the need to enable private sector financing and promote research and innovation in new technologies while safeguarding jobs; Stresses that in order to ensure a just transition, we need to address the two dimensions of the challenges faced when pursuing climate justice objectives, namely: tackling the unequal vulnerability and exposure to environmental risk in society and at work, on the one hand, and the need for social fairness in environmental policies, on the other hand; considers that the transition to a low-carbon economy must be based on a social market economy; stresses the need that private sector financing is well regulated and includes social conditionalities, and that research and innovation in new technologies must be done in a way that safeguards jobs and improves working conditions; highlights that the Green Deal should imply a new and fairer distribution of resources, the protection of the poor and the re- empowerment of the people, a reshaping of our economies for the wellbeing of all, and the achievement of social justice, in essence, a deal based on sustainable development, solidarity and shared prosperity; believes that there must be a transition to a sustainable Europe where corporate social responsibility is mandatory, workplace democracy is the norm, restructuring processes are agreed with the workers and territories affected, and quality jobs are created in sectors with long-term prospects, offering added value to communities; believes that this transition might lead to a fairer Europe where workers have dignity and opportunities, to prosper and have a project for their life, where young people can become independent, start a family if they so desire, have access to affordable housing, and no one is scared of ageing or becoming ill or disabled, because he or she will be supported in solidarity by society as a whole; in this sense, calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote public policies to achieve a stronger sustainable and social Europe where public wealth and natural areas and resources are protected, where air, water and energy are clean, where children can be raised enjoying equal treatment and opportunities, and every single person counts and has the possibility to contribute to the common project;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls for the EU industrial strategy to ensure that the jobs of tomorrow will not only be green, but will primarily be decent, well-paid, and based on good working conditions, including on health and safety at work, a robust social protection, and gender equality; calls also to ensure that the qualifications and certified competences are adequately remunerated;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15 c. Reiterates that a Governance framework for a social and sustainable Europe should be anchored in the following reforms: the integration of the EPSR and a social progress protocol in the Treaties, protecting social rights over economic freedoms in the single market, and the adoption of a Sustainable Development and Social Progress Pact making social and sustainable targets mandatory; considers that, additionally, the Semester Process should follow the community method and be agreed between the Council and the European Parliament, while more social policy areas should fall under the qualified majority decision process, in particular non-discrimination, social protection of workers, the protection of workers where their employment contract is terminated, the representation and collective defence of the interests of workers and employers, and the conditions of employment for third-country nationals legally residing in the EU;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15 d. Agrees with the ILO in its definition of the just transition to sustainable development as a human- centred approach to the future of work, that transforms economies and societies, maximizes opportunities of decent work for all, reduces inequalities, promotes social justice, and supports industries, workers and communities; observes however that the just transition is mainly benefiting big corporations, allowing energy companies to make obscene profits and the super rich to hoard on the planet resources; points out that game changers policies are needed to ensure fairness if we really mean to achieve a Just Transition for all; believes that EU funds in the RRF and Social Climate Fund (SCF) should be aligned to the mandatory objectives of this Sustainable Development and Social Progress Pact, to ensure coherence in the public financing of the just transition;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Points to the need for the principles of production, service and trade wiStresses, with reference to the Commission’s proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving working conditions in platform work (COM(2021)0762), that adherence to social standards in the certification to be improved so as to improve quality; stresses, with reference to the Commission’s proposal for a directive of the European Parliament andontext of platform work is necessary; believes that this legal uncertainty must be urgently addressed; thus calls for the scope to also cover all those working for companies that use automated monitoring and decision-making systems (AI systems); calls for the introduction of an automatic rebuttable presumption of an employment relationship under this directive, for all platform-based workers, set automatically and prior to the start of the contract; considers essential to ensure a level playing field, that platforms are treated like any other company in their sector of activity, and are covered by sectoral regulations and collective agreements; calls ofn the Council on improving working conditions in platform work (COM(2021)0762), that adherence to social standards in the context of platform work is necessarymmission to ensure that digital platforms make use of transparent, non-discriminatory and ethical algorithms, whose functioning have to be disclosed in a clear way, certified by data protection and labour authorities, agreed with workers representatives, and understandable by platform-based workers; stresses the importance of human labour relations and dignity at work, and considers essential to supervise algorithmic decisions by human supervisors and to ensure that human resources decisions and those related to the working conditions, are taken by humans in all cases, and sanctions and penalties are established for the negative consequences of automated decisions;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to include recommendations for a social register suitable for the certification of companiesrevise the Temporary Work Agency (TWA) Directive, in order to establish a legal framework to ensure decent working conditions and equal treatment, for intra- EU seasonal workers and mobile workers on fixed-term contracts with temporary work agencies, or any other type of labour market intermediary, including recruiting agencies; calls on Member States to strengthen enforcement and combat the practices of malicious temporary work agencies; stresses that this legal framework could include a ban on labour market intermediaries who do not comply with the Temporary Work Agency Directive operating in the single market, guaranteed minimum wage by collective agreement or by law, guaranteed minimum number of hours per week/month that the employer cannot deduct under any heading from the minimum wage or wages laid down by collective agreement, no deductions from wages in the case of part-time contracts, and guaranteed equal treatment for any person who, in the Member State concerned, is protected as a worker working in the same company/sector; calls on the Commission to establish a social register suitable for the certification of companies operating in the single market, which includes the possibility of sanctions on companies using fraudulent recruitment practices and trafficking people for labour exploitation; calls on the Commission to make certification mandatory for EU-wide public tenders;