Activities of Marian HARKIN related to 2015/2116(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Application of the Employment Equality Directive (debate)
Application of the Employment Equality Directive (A8-0225/2016 - Renate Weber)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the interim report of the UN's Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Hans Bielefeldt, submitted in accordance with general Assembly resolution 68/170 on Freedom of religion and belief,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)
Citation 22 a (new)
– having regard to the Gender Equality Directive (Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (recast)),
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas evidence collected by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shows that racism, xenophobia, as well as homophobia and transphobia and related forms of intolerance are widespread, despite measures taken by governments and civil society across the EU, and whereas the social and political climate is growing ever more tolerant of extremist, racist and xenophobic agendas that exploit fears about youth unemployment and security in the face of terrorism and other geopolitical challenges;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the FRA LGBT survey (http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/ eu-lgbt-survey-european-union-lesbian- gay-bisexual-and-transgender-survey- main) as well as the FRA "Being Trans in Europe" (http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/ being-trans-eu-comparative-analysis-eu- lgbt-survey-data) report highlight the persisting discrimination of LGBT people in access to and within the labour market;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights that religion is sometimes used as proxy for race when it comes to discrimination in employment, based on the real or perceived belonging of a person to a religion;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the role played by the European Court of Human Rights, through its decisions in the interpretation and implementation of the Directive, and looks forward with interest to the future first decisions on this matter of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU);
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Is of the opinion that it should be considered that, in accordance with the case law of the ECtHR the Directive provides protection against discrimination on the ground of the employer's religion or belief;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that restrictions imposed by employers to the wearing of religious symbols are not always in line with international human rights standards, as they are not limited to well-defined and narrow circumstances or do not pursue a legitimate goal, and Member States do not always check the validity of these restrictions; is concerned that some Member States have introduced general bans on religious symbols in public bodies, in the name of neutrality and secularism, which have led to attempts to extend such restrictions to the private sector;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the fact that all Member States offer grants or subsidies to employers providing reasonable accommodation, thereby incentiviszing employers to adapt the workplace in order to hire people with disabilities; Recommends that national, regional and local authorities propose guidance for reasonable accommodation and prevention of exclusion of specific vulnerable groups; calls for dialogue with social partners, such as trade unions and employers with an aim at defining guidance for reasonable accommodation practices to be put in place;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Urges the European Commission and the Member States to adopt quality frameworks for traineeships with a view to ensuring reasonable accommodation and accessibility for persons with disabilities;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recalls that the scope of protection from discrimination available to trans people remains uncertain in many Member States; calls for measures to implement effectively national legislation transposing the Gender Equality Directive (recast); points out that such measures could include improved legal definitions and the extension ofto ensure that protections for trans people to include others thans all trans people not only those undergoing or have undergone gender reassignment21 ; __________________ 21 Ibid.
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Is concerned that rights awareness in the area of discrimination, and awareness of the existence of bodies and organisations offering support to victims of discrimination, are low, with higher rates of awareness among LGBTI people; takes the view that national, regional and local authorities, along with workers organisations, should substantially intensify awareness raising activities for both victims and employers; points out that national LGBTI organizations are key partners in these efforts;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Highlights that lack of comparable equality data makes it more difficult to prove the existence of discrimination, particularly indirect discrimination; calls on the Member States to collect equality data in a systematic way and with the involvement of national equality bodies and national courts; calls on the Commission to take initiatives to promote such data collection by means of a Recommendation to Member States, and by tasking Eurostat with the development of consultations aiming at mainstreaming data disaggregation on all discrimination grounds in European Social Surveys' indicators;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes the important role of the national equality bodies in the implementation of the Employment Equality Directive, contributing to awareness raising and data collection, staying in touch with the social partners and other stakeholders, addressing underreporting and making complaint processes more accessible; calls for the role of the national equality bodies to be strengthened, and their capacities enhanced, including through the provision of adequate funding;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Highlights that the Directive mentions the disproportionate impact of multiple discrimination on women; recommends that national, regional and local authorities, law enforcement bodies, including labour inspectors, national equality bodies and civil society organisations, increase their monitoring of the intersectionality between gender and other grounds in cases of discrimination and in practices;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Considers it necessary that adequate training is provided for employees of national, regional and local authorities and law enforcement bodies and labour inspectors; believes that training for judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police force on non-discrimination legislation in employment and case-law is of critical importance, along with training on cultural understanding and unconscious bias provided by organisations representing the most discriminated groups;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Considers it necessary that the European Commission provides private companies, including SMEs and micro companies with models for equality and diversity frameworks which can be later replicated and adapted according to their needs; Calls on the business stakeholders to go further than making pledges with regard to respecting equality and diversity, by, among others, reporting annually their initiatives in this respect with the help of the equality bodies if they want to;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Considers it necessary that the Commission adopts a European framework for national strategies to combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism;