50 Amendments of João PIMENTA LOPES related to 2016/2017(INI)
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas achieving a genuine work- life balance requires comprehensive policiespolicies that guarantee a fair balance between work, leisure and rest, including measures for reconciling work, caring for and spending time with family, and time for leisure and personal development;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas reconciliation policies are to be considered as an improvement of the working environment, enabling good working conditions and the wellbeing of workers; whereas these policies must be based on labour regulation and the negotiation and conclusion of collective labour agreements;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas reconciliation policies are to be considered as an essential improvement of the working environment, enabling goo and working conditions and, contributing to the wellbeing of workers;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas a century ago, in 1919, the ILO introduced the rule of eight hours for working, eight hours for resting and eight hours for spending time with the family and for leisure;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas working time of more than eight hours a day has a negative impact on workers’ health and well-being, leading to 61% higher risks (study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the US Environmental Health Sciences Institute (published in the online International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine);
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Commission, in its communication on the European Social Pillar1, notes1 that ‘women continue to be underrepresented in employment, overrepresented in part-time work and low- paid sectors, and receive lower hourly wages even though they have surpassed men in educational attainment’; __________________ 1 COM(2016)0127, 8.3.2016, Annex I. COM(2016)0127, 8.3.2016, Annex I.
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the implementation of work-life balance policies will not in itself produce benefits for workers unless it is accompanied by policies to improve living conditions, alongside policies to foster and promote cultural, recreational and sporting activities, among others;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the gap between the richest and the poorest is widening in Europe, with a severe imbalance in the distribution of wealth, and whereas income distribution has a decisive impact on reducing cycles of social inequality;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas poverty and widening inequalities have worsened with the macroeconomic policies implemented by the EU and the austerity measures imposed in response to the economic crisis;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas social inequalities and inequalities between men and women can be combated only through policies guaranteeing a better distribution of wealth, based on an increase in real wages, action to promote labour regulation and labour protection, in particular through collective bargaining and the regulation of working time, and guaranteed universal free access to high- quality public healthcare and education services;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas labour deregulation policies and the attack on collective bargaining are fostering an extension in working time in a number of Member States, without wage compensation, which is contributing to increased working class poverty; whereas these policies are promoting and encouraging precarious employment and the downgrading of the value of work, which has a particular impact on young people and working women, who are obliged to accept jobs with increasingly precarious conditions, often without any social protection; whereas these policies are compromising work-life reconciliation objectives;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas family-related types of leave are still often grounds for discrimination and stigmatisation despite existing legislation; whereas such leave is not granted on the basis of 100% of reference pay, and this heightens the factors leading to discrimination and stigmatisation;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas family-related types of leave are still often grounds for discrimination and stigmatisation despite existing legislation, which particularly affects women;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas EU policies have promoted the privatisation and destruction of the network of public services and infrastructure providing care for children, the elderly and the sick, and the supply of these high-quality and free public services is now reduced or non- existent;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas allowing people time outside of work for personal development in the context of life-long learning benefits their wellbeing as well as their contribution to the economy with more skills and higher productivity3; __________________ 3 CEDEFOP Research Paper: Training leave. Policies and practices in Europe, 2010.
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that equal reconciliation of professional, private life with personal and family life needs to be guaranteed as a fundamental right for all people;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Defends the right to collective bargaining as a means of improving social harmonisation with a view to guaranteeing and supporting measures to combat discrimination and to safeguard and enhance rights;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls for the balanced redistribution of income and wealth in favour of workers and for effective measures to be introduced to combat wage discrimination within a wage policy framework that provides fair incomes for all workers and therefore gives them and their families a decent life;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Defends, in the context of collective bargaining, the right of workers, particularly shift workers, to supervision for their children, from birth and throughout their childhood, including workers who have children with a disability for which specific measures need to be taken;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Urges that, to give them more time to share family life, parents with children who are still minors should, by means of collective bargaining, be able to coordinate their time off with school holidays, even if they work in different companies or services;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the EU is facing unprecedented demographic challenges – an ageing population, low birth rates, changing family structures and migration; is concerneddeplores the fact that austerity measures have had a negative impact on the sustainability of public finances needed for work-life balance policies andaffected millions of workers through cuts in wages and rights, increased unemployment and reduced support for States’ public and social services, and have therefore severely affected policies that balance work, personal and family life and other services that foster demographic renewal;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the EU is facing unprecedented demographic challenges – an ageing population, low birth rates, changing family structures and migration; is concerned that austerity measures have had a negative impact on the sustainability of public finances neededabout the very negative impact of austerity measures, which have contributed to unemployment, precarious labour relations, increased costs for services and basic goods, the destruction of public services and the degradation of the financial-economic system of the affected Member States, and thus have destroyed the support system for work-life balance policies and services that foster demographic renewal;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out that the low birth rate is inextricably linked to the disappearance of high-quality employment with rights, the spread of unemployment, forced emigration, widespread job insecurity, the failure to uphold and the violation of maternity and paternity rights in the workplace, low wages, deregulation and increased working hours, increased housing costs and a paucity of free/affordable child support resources;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WelcomesExpresses reservations about the Commission’s approach to work-life balance policies as key in addressing socio-economic challenges; calls on the European Social Partners to come forward with an agreement on a comprehensive package of legislative and non-legislative measures regarding the reconciliation of professional, private and family life; calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal for such a package in the context of the announced European pillar of social rights should it not be possible for an agreement between the social partners to be reachedpolicies that balance work, personal and family life as key in addressing socio-economic challenges, since practical experience shows that the policies that it champions go against that approach; urges Member States to support labour regulation and collective bargaining as vital tools to ensure that workers are able to achieve a balance between work, personal and family life;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Commission’s approach to work-life balance policies as key in addressing socio-economic challenges; calls on the European Social Partners to come forward with an agreement on a comprehensive package of legislative and non-legislative measures regarding the reconciliation of professional, private and family life; calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal for such a package in the context of the announced European pillar of social rights should it not be possible for an agreement between the social partners to be reached;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of incorporating a lifecycle approach into policies balancing work-life b, personal ance policies in order to ensurd family life the guarantee that everyone is supported at different times throughout their life and can actively participate in the labour market and in society as a whole, and can be guaranteed access to jobs with rights;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points to the responsibility that companies have to uphold labour rights that specifically recognise the demands of personal life and family responsibilities, for both women and men;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Urges the Commission not to recommend reorganisation and cuts in Member States’ government departments nor to support greater flexibility in employment or the privatisation of public services, as those approaches have unquestionably served to weaken the social rights of workers and have been felt more severely among women;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need to address inequalities in paid and unpaid work and to promote an equal sharing of responsibilities and costs for children and care for dependant, by setting out policies to combat the gender pay gap and to encourage free, universal public services that will support families, education, health and social security and therefore lead to an equal sharing of responsibilities between women, men and society as a whole;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Commission to adopt a post-2015 Gender Equality Strategy and to implement it through the European Semester, including the Annual Growth Survey and country-specific recommendations;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Member States to put in place proactive policies designed to support women entering, returning to and staying in the labour market with stable and quality employpermanent jobs with rights, and thereby combat discrimination against women, women who are mothers, and women who are pregnant or who want to be mothers by improving labour regulation and collective bargaining instruments; labour regulation instruments;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to involve the social partners and civil society in gender equality policicombat social inequalities and inequalities between men and women by supporting labour regulation and equal pay for equal work, collective bargaining, higher salaries, fairer redistributive fiscal policies and better distribution of wealth, along with the protection of state social functions, public social security and public services; stresses the importance of collective agreements in combating discrimination and promoting equality between women and men at work, and of research and exchanges of good practices;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to combat social inequalities and inequalities between men and women by supporting labour regulation, collective bargaining, higher salaries, fairer redistributive fiscal policies and better distribution of wealth, along with the protection of state social functions, public social security and public services, and to involve the social partners and civil society in gender equality policies; stresses the importance of collective agreements in combating discrimination and promoting equality between women and men at work, and of research and exchanges of good practices; similarly, calls on the Member States to eliminate legislation that allows for or regulates precarious employment;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Strongly regrets that the Commission withdrew the revision of the Maternity Leave Directive and calls as a matter of urgency for it to return with an ambitious proposal; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that women are paid at 100% for the duration of maternity leave; stresses that maternity leave must be accompanied by effective measures protecting the rights of pregnant and new mothers, reflecting the recommendations of the World Health Organisation21; __________________ 21 http://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en /
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that promoting the individualisationright to parental leave paid at 100% for a minimum of six months and based ofn the right to leave as well as the role of ffree choice of the woman and the couple about how they use the parental leave period is essential to promoting the balanced sharing of responsibility between parents and in de-stigmatising parental roles, which are mathters isthat are essential to achieving gender-balanced reconciliation of work and private life;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – introductory part
Paragraph 15 – introductory part
15. Urges the Commission, in coordination with Member States, to bring forward proposals on:
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 1
Paragraph 15 – point 1
1. a paternity leave directive with a minimum of a two-week fully paid leave, including when parents adopt children;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 2 a (new)
Paragraph 15 – point 2 a (new)
(2a) the urgent reinstatement of the Maternity Leave Directive, as it is an instrument that is essential to supporting families and combating social and gender inequalities, and for that instrument to establish the same rights for families that adopt children;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Member States to introduce ‘care credits’ for both women and men as equivalent periods for building up pension rights in order to protect those taking a break from employment to provide informal care to a dependantprotect those taking a break from employment to provide family care with specific leave duly regulated in labour and social protection legislation; points out the utmost importance, when it comes to providing family care, of the need to build up free, universal and quality public services as a replacement for the informal care sometimes provided in a family setting;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Member States to invest in and ensure the availability of and universal access to affordablefree, public and high- quality early childhood education and care, elderly and dependant care by, for example, increasing public expenditure on care services and incentivising employer contributions to care costs, including by making better use of EU funds, and calls for the MFF revision to be used to invest in social infrastructure;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for the introduction of targets on care for elderly and other dependants, with monitoring tools within the European Semester; calls on Eurostat and Eurofound to collect relevant data and to carry out studies;
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on Member States to strengthen the network of specialised services providing care to the elderly, and specifically to build up home service networks;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish qualitative standards for all care servicespromote high-quality and free universal public access to healthcare;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Points out the high levels of working poor throughout Europe, with people having to work more and longer, even combining several jobs, in order to earn a decent income; calls on the Member States and social partners to develop measures ensuring adequate wagto combat social inequalities and inequalities between men and women by supporting labour regulation, collective bargaining, higher salaries, for all workers, and to close the gender pay gapairer redistributive fiscal policies and better distribution of wealth, along with the protection of state social functions, public social security and public services;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Supports ‘smartregulated working’ but rejects a shift fromased on collective agreements, without disregarding technological and digital developments in the modern work organisation, but rejecting the tendency to substitute a culture of presence towith a culture of permanent availability; calls on the Member States, when developing smart working policies, to ensure these do notat they reflect structural advances in technology and organisation, which contribute to the reduction of working hours without loss of pay, and in no way impose an additional burden on the worker;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Points out that excessive working hours and insufficient rest periods, as well as the disproportionate output required, are major factors in increased levels of occupational accidents and diseases; calls on the Commission to initiate infringement proceedings against Member States who are failing to implement the Working Time Directive;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on Member States to build up and strengthen national labour inspection bodies by providing them with the financial conditions and financial and human resources to give them an effective presence on the ground and thereby enable them to combat job insecurity, unregulated work, and labour and wage discrimination, particularly from the point of view of equality between men and women;
Amendment 452 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Member States and social partners to develop and put in place policiin coordination with social partners, and particularly with unions, to develop legislation that provides for educational and training leave and to make learning outside workthat is accessible to all workers in disadvantaged situations;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Urges the Commission not to recommend reorganisation and cuts in Member States’ government departments nor to support greater flexibility in employment or the privatisation of public services, as those approaches have unquestionably served to weaken the social rights of workers and have been felt more severely among women;