Activities of Ádám KÓSA related to 2019/2188(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Reducing inequalities with a special focus on in-work poverty (debate)
Amendments (27)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that, in accordance with Article 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the EU has an obligation to ensure that all workers enjoy working conditions which respect their health, safety and dignity and calls for attention to the fact that poverty and exclusion from the labour market and society exacerbate inequalities and segregation, which can lead to polarisation and instability in society;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Underlines that early school leavers and low-educated young people are expected to remain vulnerable in a future of work context, where wage disparities between low and medium-high skilled members of the labour force can be expected to increase, thus potentially generating in-work poverty challenges, therefore investment in early childhood education and life-long learning is a key for better employability, notes in this regard that Upskilling Pathways should offer further opportunities to boost the basic skills of adults and to progress towards the qualifications demanded by the labour market;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the high number of petitions received by Committee on Petitions alerting it to the precarious nature and abusive use of fixed-term contracts in both the public1 and private2 sectors; and notes in this regard that the most frequently mentioned causes of work stress are job insecurity; _________________ 1These include petitions 0240/18, 0328/18, 0365/18, 0374/18, 0396/18, 0419/18, 0829/2018, 0897/2018, 1161/2018, 0290/19, 0310/2019, 0335/2019, 0579/19, 0624/19, 0652/19, 0683/2019, 0737/2019, 1017/19, 1045/2019, 1241/2019, 1318/2019 and 0036/2020. 2These include petitions 1378/2013, 0019/2016, 0020/2016, 0021/2016, 0099/2017, 1162/2017, 0110/2018 and 0335/2019.
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes that increasing digitalisation, robotisation, use of Artificial Intelligence and the development of the digital platform economy drive profound changes in the labour market, therefore invites Member States to promote life-long learning policies as well as skills and competence development throughout life, provide education and adequate training programmes for low-skilled workers to prepare them for the challenges of the changing labour market, while underlines in this respect that digital technologies can be better exploited to support employers, workers, labour inspectorates and in particular micro and small enterprises, in managing the changes in work organisation in the best interest of workers;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. NRecalls that on average, despite disparities between and within Member States, people in the Union are more educated, wealthier, healthier and live longer than ever before but notes with concern that, according to the European Social Policy Network, some 9.4 % of workers in the EU are at risk of poverty, representing some 20.5 million people; highlights the important differences between the Member States, and underlines the need to establish policies and law at EU level to reverse this situation, in order to prevent further social polarisation in the EU, invites Member States and the Commission to continue to eradicate poverty, in particular by tackling child poverty and the intergenerational transmission of poverty, including by exploring new measures; warns that this situation will be aggravated as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and urges the Commission to protect these workers;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Is of the opinion that more emphasis should be placed on values and policies that promote work in relation to improving the quality of life of people themselves, but also to making meaningful contributions to the general wellbeing of the social and physical environment they live in;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas there is great inequality both within and between Member States and the gap in net wealth between rich and poor is widening; whereas, while net wealth per household in the Eurogroup countries fell for the bottom 20% in 2017, it increased relatively sharply for the top 20%6 , and the bottom 20% of households had net debt averaging EUR 4 500, while the top 10% had net assets of EUR 1 189 7007; __________________ 6The Household Finance and Consumption Survey: Results from the 2017 wave, ECB Statistics Paper Series No 36, March 2020, p. 25. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpsps/ ecb.sps36~0245ed80c7.en.pdf?bd73411fbe b0a33928ce4c5ef2c5e872 7 The Household Finance and Consumption Survey Wave 2017 Statistical tables, March 2020, p. 5. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/home/pdf/resea rch/hfcn/HFCS_Statistical_Tables_Wave_ 2017.pdf?656f4e10de45c91c3c882840e91 74eac
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that women continue to earn 16 % less than men in the EU and have the highestr rates of job insecurity; calls on the Member States to put legislation and strategies in place to ensure equality, to take effective measures to reduce gender pay-gap, to promote equal access to quality jobs and to take measures against all forms of discrimination and inequality in education and training, as well as in the labour market and urges the Commission to pay particular attention to compliance with EU labour law;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas low wages and, increasingly, wage differentiation are deepening inequality in net wealth; whereas increasing productivity without corresponding wage increases also exacerbates economic disparities within and between Member States;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU has clearly missed its target of reducing the absolute number of people at risk of poverty by 20 million by 20209 compared to 2008; __________________ 9Francesca Pepé and Gaia Teresa Sartori Pallotta, Fostering access to services to support people to move out of poverty, Report on poverty and inequalities in Europe, Brussels, November 2019, p. 7 and p. 13 et seq., and COM (2010) 2020 final, 3.3.2010.
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas 95 million people (21.7%) are affected by poverty or social exclusion, which means that the decent economic survival and place in society of one in five people in the world's third largest economic area (EU-27) are at risk10 ; __________________ 10 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/29 95521/10163468/3-16102019-CP- EN.pdf/edc3178f-ae3e-9973-f147- b839ee522578
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas 6.1% of the population of EU-28 were suaffering fromcted by / living in severe material deprivation in 201811 ; __________________ 11 Severe material deprivation: inability to afford less than 4 out of 11: mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, hire purchase instalments or other loan payments, one week annual holidays, meals involving meat/fish/protein every second day, unexpected financial expenses, a telephone (including mobile), a colour TV, a washing machine, a car, heating; (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics- explained/index.php/Quality_of_life_indic ators_- _material_living_conditions#General_over view)
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas family poverty is inonly decreasing slowly: every fourth child under the age of 18 is at risk of poverty or social exclusion; whereas single parents (34.2%) and large families are particularly affected12 ; __________________ 12https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics- explained/index.php/Quality_of_life_indic ators_- _material_living_conditions#General_over view
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas homelessness is increasing everywhere, with the exception of Finland, and around 700 000 people awere homeless14 in 2019 according to estimates; __________________ 14 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/ag enda/briefing/2020-01-13/11/housing- urgent-action-needed-to-address- homelessness-in-europe
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas coverage is declining in OECD countries, and in at least 14 EU Member States one in every two employees works without a collective wage agreement; whereas only seven Member States have a collective bargaining coverage rate above 80%16 ; __________________ 16OECD, Visser(2016) ICTWSS Database.https://www.etuc.org/en/docume nt/etuc-reply-first-phase-consultation- social-partners-under-article-154-tfeu- possible-action, p. 6, no 15.
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the number of countries worldwide in which unions and workers are subject to repression increased from 92 in 2018 to 107 in 2019; whereas the increase was highest in EU-28, at 40%, and whereas in 68% of the countries violatedthere was a violation of the right to strike and 50%in 50% a violation of the right to collective bargaining17; __________________ 17https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/2019- 06-ituc-global-rights-index-2019-report- en-2.pdf
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas minimum wage systems vary widely in size, scope and coverage across Member States; whereas the minimum wage is consistently above the defined poverty threshold (60% gross median) in only three Member States and does not consistently provide protection against poverty risk in other Member States; whereas some sectors, groups of workers and forms of work are sometimes not included or covered by minimum wage arrangements;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reminds the Commission and the Member States to achieve the goal of comparable living conditions through upward convergence and to counter the increasing inequality and de-solidarisation within and between Member States through appropriate measures, such as the strengthening of collective systems and a coordinated approach to minimum security systems for all age groups, a minimum income, minimum wages and minimum pensionnational systems;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is convinced that the axiom that ‘work is the best remedy for poverty’ no longer appliesis to a lesser extent applicable today in the face of low- wage sectors, atypical and precarious working conditions and the dismantling of social security systems and that a poverty- free life can only be secured by effective collective agreements and minimum wage systems;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, on the basis of their obligations under the ILO Conventions, the revised European Social Charter and on the basis of their commitment to Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights, to promote collective bargaining, as well as the right to associate, negotiate and conclude collective agreements, and to respect and enforce the right to fair minimum wages;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s plan to promptly propose a legal instrument to ensure that every worker in the Union receives a fair minimum wage corresponding to national standards21 ; calls also for this plan to ensure, through legislation or collective agreements, that nobody is at risk of poverty and that everyone can live from their work and participate in society; underlines that the floor should be at least 60% of the national gross median wage; stresses that if this is too low to live on in relation to standards in a given country, an additional mechanism based on objective criteria should be used to calculate a supplement that ensures a decent life; __________________ 21 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta- political/files/political-guidelines-next- commission_de.pdfhttps://ec.europa.eu/co mmission/sites/beta-political/files/political- guidelines-next-commission_en.pdf
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure access to decent, affordable housing for all and to do more to promote affordable publicsocial housing;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and Member States to enforhance, effectively and through sanctions, the right of workers to organise and to negotiate and conclude collective agreements, and to ensure that unions can enter plants, speak to workers at work and organise them;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and Member States to enforhance, effectively and through sanctions, the right of workers to organise and to negotiate and conclude collective agreements, and to ensure that unions can enter plants, speak to workers at work and organise them;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Commission to improve the public procurement Directives to prevent competition at the expense of wages so that only those who do not undermine existing collective agreements can successfully bid; calls on the Member States to ensure compliance, monitoring and enforcement;