Activities of Sandra PEREIRA related to 2023/2536(RSP)
Plenary speeches (1)
Strengthening social dialogue (debate)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 10 #
Recital -A (new)
Amendment 11 #
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas the rights of workers to collective bargaining, collective agreements, freedom of association and collective action are fundamental rights in a democracy;
Amendment 12 #
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas collective bargaining, collective agreements and the essential role of trade unions in improving the living and working conditions of workers have been severely undermined by EU policies and legislation; whereas this is a deliberate strategy that has been weakening workplace democracy throughout the EU;
Amendment 14 #
Recital A
A. whereas social partnershipdialogue and collective bargaining between trade unions and representatives of employers at national level and social dialogue at EU level are key aspects of the European social model, whose shared legacy of social dialogue, workers’ participamust guarantee the free representation of workers in order to uphold their rights and improve their working and living conditions, collective bargaining, employee representation on boards, health and safety representation and tripartite system are the building blocks of a diverse andespecially with regard to pay increases, career advancement, health and safety at work and better and more inclusive EU growth in economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future that will contribute to better and more inclusive EU growth terms;
Amendment 36 #
Recital B
B. whereas collective bargaining at the sectoral and cross-industry levels came under growing pressure in some Member States in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis; whereas the share of workers covered by collective agreements has declined significantly over the past 30 years, with an estimated drop in EU average coverage from about 66 % in 2000 to about 56 % in 201811, owing to labour market reforms in many Member States that decentralised collective bargaining systems, the rise of precarious forms of employment and bogus self-employment; whereas in most Member States, collective bargaining covering rates tend to be higher for employees on permanent contracts and for those working in larger companies; _________________ 11 Visser, Jelle, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies, ‘Database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts’, Version 6.1, November 2019.
Amendment 37 #
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas EU policies have, through the most varied mechanisms, greatly contributed to curbing the scope of collective labour agreements, as well as undermining social dialogue and the rights to collective organisation and action, collective bargaining and collective agreements; whereas the Green Paper on modernising labour law to meet the challenges of the 21st century, the country-specific recommendations addressed to the Member States as part of the European Semester and the so-called financial assistance programmes have been instrumental in the assault on workers’ rights, including the rights to collective organisation and action, collective bargaining and collective agreements;
Amendment 42 #
Recital C
C. whereas European workers and employertheir families are currently facing major challenges stemming from the consequences of the pandemic and, since 24 February 2022 the resulting profiteering, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, sanctions and speculation, all of which have been leading to social and economic decline as a result of notable increases in the cost of essential goods and services, further undermining fundamental rights and living standards and aggravating poverty and inequality; whereas these events have shown a pressing need for broader and stronger participation by social partners, especially if the green and digital transitions to a sustainable, fair and social future for the EU are to be achieved; whereas workers or their representatives have the right to be informed and consulted in good time on matters relevant to them, in particular on the transfer, restructuring and merger of undertakings and on collective redundancies;
Amendment 47 #
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas measures to uphold and promote collective bargaining and collective agreements may provide an effective response to the spiralling cost of living and facilitate urgently needed real pay increases across the board;
Amendment 53 #
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas workplace democracy goes beyond the formal participation of trade union organisations in so-called social dialogue meetings, or mere consultation of these bodies; whereas the promotion of workplace democracy calls for the safeguarding and upholding of various rights and principles, including the right to organisation, collective action and collective bargaining, trade union rights, the right to strike, the principle of prohibiting unfair dismissal and of equal pay for equal work, the principle of adapting work to human needs and reconciling family and personal life with work by setting appropriate working hours and the reduction of working time in order to enable workers to participate in political, trade union and social life;
Amendment 54 #
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas little progress can be made regarding workplace democracy if it continues to be thwarted by insecure and unregulated employment contracts, job instability, low remuneration, inadequate standards of health and safety and harassment at the workplace;
Amendment 66 #
Recital F
F. whereas some Member States are ensuring an enabling framework for social dialogue and collective bargaining, while in some other Member States, social dialogue isand collective bargaining are under pressure for reasons including ineffective consultation procedures, a lack of capacity and strict representational criteria; whereas the EU regulatory landscape rules shortening the duration and expiry periods of collective agreements and governing conditions for the suspension thereof, abandonment of the principle of upholding the field of employment law and company law remains excessively fragmented, which could result in a lack of legal certainty on applicable rules and rights for both employers and employeesbest interests of workers, lack of willingness and commitment on the part of employers regarding collective bargaining or refusal to participate therein, and more widespread job insecurity;
Amendment 67 #
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas questions relating to collective bargaining and collective agreement rights fall within the remit of the Member States, in certain cases being enshrined in their constitutions and basic laws, and should continue to do so;
Amendment 106 #
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that social dialogue and collective bargaining contribute to the social market economy, one of the aims of the Treaty of Lisbon; reiterates that, in line with the Treaties, which explicitly protect the autonomy of social partners and the self-regulatory systems in place in some Member States, social dialogue must be protected in order for social partners to regulate themselves autonomously, ensuring total legitimacy and strong progress on collective agreemen t coverage; welcomes the Commission proposal for a Council recommendation on strengthening social dialogue in the EU; stresses that social dialogue at national and Union level needs to be further improved and that more efforts are needed to support collective bargaining coverage and prevent social partners’ membership and organisational density from decreasing; regrets, however, that the proposal does not lay out any sustainable solutions for organising and financing sectoral social dialogue committees; calls on the Commission to maintain its logistical support for sectoral social dialogue committees and to increase its financial, legal and political support; calls on the Commission to continue supporting and closely monitoring sectoral social dialogue in order to ensure alignment between committees and that social dialogue can make a significant contribution to EU policies; strongly urges the Commission to come up with new proposals that fully respect social partners’ autonomy and avoid severely devaluing European sectoral social dialogue;
Amendment 123 #
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that freedom of assembly and association and workers’ rights to organise, to collective union representation and to collectively call for reforms within their workplaces are fundamental aspects of the European project and core principles of the European social model, which have been affirmed and legally upheld byrights that must be affirmed, upheld and respected by the Member States and the EU institutions;
Amendment 124 #
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 132 #
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Deplores the fact that EU policies have, through the most varied mechanisms, greatly contributed to curbing the scope of collective agreements, as well as undermining the rights to collective organisation, and action, collective bargaining and collective agreements; calls for the immediate reversal of these policies;
Amendment 147 #
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, along with social partners, to commit to reaching collective bargaining coverage of 90 % by 2030, with a view to improving the living and working conditions in the Unionof workers and their families, contributing to upward social convergence, fighting in-work poverty and social exclusion and reducing wage inequality and ending job insecurity;
Amendment 158 #
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States to repeal any national legislation that hampers collective bargaining, including any legislation that inhibits trade unions’ access to workplaces for the purpose of organising; calls on the Commission and and rules shortening the duration and expiry periods of collective labour agreements; calls on the Member States to promote sectoral- level collective bargaining as an important instrument to increase collective agreement coverage, making sure that derogations from collective agreements concluded at a higher level are restricted to situations in which those derogations are needed to maintain quality employment;
Amendment 168 #
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines that reforms in the Member States should not negatively affect workers' rights, especially collective bargaining, and that collective bargaining needs to be promoted at sectoral level, including by supporting the capacity- building of social partners; stresses that labour market reforms at national level must contribute to implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, including Principle 8 thereof on social dialogue and the involvement of workers, as well as collective bargaining, respect for the autonomy of social partners and the rights to collective action and to be informed and consulted in good time on the transfer, restructuring and merging of undertakings and on collective redundancies; calls on the Commission to analyse any labour reforms relating to these issues in the Member States’ national recovery and resilience plans;
Amendment 180 #
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about the fact that some workers taking part in new forms of work do not enjoy effective representation or participation rights in the workplace; deplores the fact that this is the case, in particular, for sectors where the majority of workers are women; reiterates its call on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the right of workers to freedom of association and participation in the workplace for all forms of employment; is concerned about the growing phenomenon of company trade unions or workers’ representatives that are established or controlled by and work in the interests of the employer rather than the workers; stresses that this is particularly serious in certain sectors where the misclassification of workers and precariousness are common; warns that such company trade unions or workers’ representatives are contrary to Article 2 of ILO Convention No 98 concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively and to Directive 2002/14/EC15; calls on the Commission andthe Member States to, along with social partners, ensure that elections for workers’ representatives comply with the Workers’ Representatives Convention and that workers’ representatives enjoy effective protection from any prejudicial act towards them, including dismissal, based on their status or activities as a workers’ representative or on their union membership or participation in union activities; _________________ 15 Directive 2002/14/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2002 establishing a general framework for informing and consulting employees in the European Community (OJ L 80, 23.3.2002, p. 29).
Amendment 201 #
Paragraph 13
Amendment 232 #
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Takes the view that measures to revitalise European collective bargaining and the conclusion of agreements at European level are effectively depriving national trade unions of the power to organise and take action, undermining their autonomy and independence;
Amendment 233 #
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Takes the view accordingly that centralisation of this power in supranational trade union structures is effectively undermining the involvement and participation of workers in the decision-making process and weakening their links with their own specific sectors and countries, thereby sidelining them or effectively turning them into vehicles for the implementation of agreements that run counter to their rights and interests and the national sovereignty of the Member States;