Activities of Evelyn REGNER related to 2013/2127(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (34)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
- having regard to the own-initiative report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (2012/2061(INI)) on 'Information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring',
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A – introductory part
Recital A – introductory part
A. whereas employee financial participation (EFP) schemes can offer direct financial benefits that lie without exception above and beyond agreed basic remuneration structures through:
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A – indent 1
Recital A – indent 1
– sharing in ownership – for large listed companies with tradable shares, which offers employees the right to enjoy the benefits of the company's success and a share in the responsibility for and risks attached to strategic decisions,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A – indent 2
Recital A – indent 2
– sharing in profits particularly for SMEs and micro-enterprises or non-listed companies, which can reward success, supplement workers' incomes and boost their spending power, with a possible direct economic spill-over into the local economy;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas employees face a double risk times in crisis: on the one hand the risk of losing their jobs as well as income and on the other hand the risk of losing capital invested in their companies;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas EFP, particularly in the form of ESOPs, can act as a shock absorber, allowing bonuses or other forms of supplementary pay or reward to be managed in trusts by third parties, spreading the investment risk and ensuring that workers have a pot of available money that they can access in times of hardship, creating additional financial security for workers;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas job security is improved by employee buy-out options, which can help workers take over companies in financial difficulty, safeguarding their own jobs and reducing uncertainty from possible buyouts by other companies, and which address company succession problems, that can often result in companies being closed down when succession is not possible; whereas this is helpful in particular for SMEs and micro enterprises; whereas these advantages can only be accomplished in combination with workers' participation;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas EFP reduces short, when based on stable and functioning institutions of workers involvement, reduces short-termism and promotes sustainability and long-termism in strategic decision-making by managers and can bring stability, development and growth while reducing risks of over- expansion leading to job losses;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas investing in training allows companies with financial participation schemes including workers' participation which link workers directly to the company to feel more confident that they will retain skilled workers; whereas this creates an incentive for employers to invest in the training of their workforce, given the greater likelihood of them retaining skilled workers in the long term;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas both employee ownership and profit-sharing models can deliver significantcontribute to improvements in employees' job satisfaction, psychological well-being and overall performance and motivation, provided that employees get a say in company matters;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas eincouragluding employees to develop a sense of ownership and responsibilitin the decision making of a company increases their feeling of inclusionmutual respect and the likelihood that their employers will engage with them and understand their concerns, perspectives and ideas;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas employee participation in management through voting rights or other forms of governance can help employees to have a better understanding of the situation when their company faces challengesimproves management and can also give themployees a greater appreciation and an ability to access rewards when the company is doing well;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas EFP schemes can play a significant role in additionally involving workers in information and, consultation and decision making processes during restructuring;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the lack of national legislative measures favouring the development of EFP schemes; notes, in this connection, the differences between EU- 154a and EU-1234b countries as regards their levels of participation in EFP schemes; recognises the link between the introduction of legislative measures at national level in favour of EFP schemes and the number of employees participating in such schemes;5 __________________ 4a Member States entering the Union until 1995. 4b Member States entering the Union after 1995. 5 ‘Employee financial participation in companies’ proceeds' (PE 475.098), p. 36.
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and on Member States to consider appropriate national measures to encourage companies to develop and implement voluntary EFP schemes, open to all employees on a non- discriminatory basis, taking into account the specific situation of SMEs and micro- enterprises; calls on the Member States to step up exchanges of best practice in this regard;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and on Member States to engage in dialogue with social partners, employee ownership organisations and stakeholders more closely in dialogue between policy makers, employers and workers' representatives, including the social partners where relevantat the respective levels while respecting autonomy of social partners in collective bargaining, in order to ensure that existing examples of best practice at national level are taken into account in the development of national policies to facilitate the implementation of EFP by businesses;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Eagerly aAnticipates the results of the pilot project and the evaluation on setting up ‘European Centres for Employee Ownership’; asks the Commission to consider what can be done to further develop participation in EFP schemes and offer guidance to Member States on possible mechanisms to do so in light of this pilot project;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – introductory part
Paragraph 8 – introductory part
8. RecogniseDoubts the advantages that an opt-in 29th regime could offer in terms of:
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – point a
Paragraph 8 – point a
(a) an optional single legal regulationframework open to employers throughout the EU,
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – point d
Paragraph 8 – point d
(d) the applicability at national and/or EU level when needed and not being restricted to cross-border companies;6 6, taking into account tax issues as well as financial risks for employees; __________________ 6 ‘Employee financial participation in companies’ proceeds' (PE 475.098), p. 16.
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Encourages the Commission to present an impact assessment and a study on such a ‘29th regime’ for EFP taking into account tax issues as well as financial risks for employees;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – introductory part
Paragraph 11 – introductory part
11. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with employee ownership organisations, the Member States and the social partners to develop a non-binding framework concept on basic principles for successful EFP schemes encompassing the following elements:
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point a
Paragraph 11 – point a
(a) objective-led: companies and their workers must agree on the objectives of an EFP scheme in order to determine which model is the most appropriate for them and to have the best chance of achieving the desired outcome; before the introduction, EFP schemes should be subject to consultation an agreement by the workers' representatives and the trade unions; collective agreements must not be undermined by agreements on EFP schemes;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point b
Paragraph 11 – point b
(b) flexible in operation and voluntary: EFP operates differently in different sectors, companies of different sizes and types, and different Member States; the decision to develop and implement an EFP scheme should therefore lie with the individualbe made mutually by the company or employer in conjunction withand the concerned employees, in the light of existing national law and practice, and depending on the company's financial situation;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point d
Paragraph 11 – point d
(d) voluntary for employees: EFP is a means by which employees are offered a choice about how to benefit from a closer financial relationship with their employer; ultimately this has to be both optional for an individual worker to opt in and out of, but equally available to the whole workforce, including part-time workers, of a company on a non- discriminatory basis in order to achieve genuine inclusion;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point e
Paragraph 11 – point e
(e) negotiated by social partners: where national practices and traditions include social partners at company level, EFP schemes should be negotiated by the relevant social partners, on a local ‘plant- by-plant’ basis in order to be tailored to the specific conditions and circumstances of the company and its workforce; such schemes should always be open to all workers, including those who are not members of the trade union responsible for negotiating the conditions of an EFP scheme;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point f
Paragraph 11 – point f
(f) clear information must be given to employees on the risks and rights attached to opting into an EFP scheme: the decision to join an EFP scheme should be based on the informed consent of an employee, given in the full knowledge of their entitlements and the underlying risks as well as taxation effects when joining a scheme and the conditions which apply when they leave the company or the scheme under any circumstances;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point g
Paragraph 11 – point g
(g) involvement in governance: schemes mayshould, where possible, include the direct involvement of a worker in the governance of a company; where this is the case, or ESOP; rights and responsibilities should be clearly defined in this context and shall include the involvement of workers before such responsibilities are agreed to;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 11 – point g a (new)
(ga) if sharing in ownership is the model agreed, collective ownership of shares - for example in a trust - is preferable; within this model, shares should be thus allocated that existing pay differences are not being increased;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point g b (new)
Paragraph 11 – point g b (new)
(gb) the impact on gender equality should always be considered when EFP schemes are agreed upon;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point g c (new)
Paragraph 11 – point g c (new)
(gc) transparency: information about the economic situation of the company concerned as well as information about the attached risks should be available to the workers concerned at all time;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the shift in the attitude of trade unions towards EFP and eEncourages social partners to continue working together to develop new opportunities for EFP at the relevant levels7 ; points out the key role of Trade Unions and workplace representatives in this context; __________________ 7 ‘Employee financial participation in companies’ proceeds' (PE 475.098), p. 35.
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Encourages the Member States to develop, in partnership withcooperation with social partners, employee ownership organisations and the Commission, single information portals – one stop shops – accessible to employers and employees, to explain the benefits and advantages as well as risks of EFP, national support or incentives available and the different models which exist, in order to allow workers to become more aware and make better use of advantages arising from EFP schemes and to allow employers to better assess the options available to them and the challenges of entering into an EFP schemeand employers to make informed judgements concerning EFP schemes and find the best option for agreements at company level and to better assess the options available to them and the challenges of entering into an EFP scheme; suggests that these single information portals should be attached to or included into existing competent bodies or authorities at national level;