BETA


2013/2112(INI) Effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead EMPL STEINRUCK Jutta (icon: S&D S&D) BOULLAND Philippe (icon: PPE PPE), KACIN Jelko (icon: ALDE ALDE), DELLI Karima (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2014/05/26
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2014/01/14
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2014/01/14
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 586 votes to 58 with 47 abstentions a resolution on effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe.

It discussed the need to improve labour inspections and combat undeclared work, which currently accounts for 18.8 % of GDP in the EU 27 and for over 30 % in certain countries. Parliament stressed the need to ensure sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the offence.

Inspection measures at national level

Principles for effective labour inspection : Parliament wants to see the role of national labour inspectorates enhanced, and stressed the need to provide training for their senior staff so as to meet successfully new inspection challenges. They highlighted the following points:

· inspection of occupational health must be handled by independent inspectors (and not by employer associations) trained in health and safety, who might be assisted by representatives of the social partners;

· inspectorates representing government, workers and employers , should be created and as a pilot initiative, be brought into operation in those Member States with the highest levels of undeclared work;

· national action plans were needed for strengthening labour inspection mechanisms, and for financing them through the European Structural Funds ;

· the social partners must be involved in the design and formulation of national labour inspection plans and in the labour inspections themselves;

· Member States should increase the resources and staffing levels of their labour inspectorates and meet the target of one inspector for every 10 000 workers , as well as impose more severe penalties on firms that fail to comply with their obligations concerning fundamental rights (salaries, working hours and OHS);

· Parliament stressed that the financial reforms being carried out in certain Member States must under no circumstances result in reductions of the manpower, funding, and material and technical infrastructural resources of labour inspectorates;

· where abuse is uncovered, workers concerned (including migrant workers in an irregular situation) as well as any whistleblowers involved must be protected , and helped to assert their rights at no cost;

· the rights of inspectors to inspect companies that provide contract labour must be extended, and inspections must cover the observance of rules on rates of pay and working conditions, as well as the application of minimum wages where required by Member State law or national collective agreements;

· Member States should ratify ILO Convention No 189 and implement measures for labour inspection, enforcement and penalties, in the area of domestic work.

Parliament deplored the problematically high incidence of bogus self-employment , particularly in the construction and meat-processing sector. Member States should introduce appropriate inspection measures distinguishing between bogus and legitimate self-employment.

Undeclared work: Parliament called on national labour inspectorates to draw up action plans to combat undeclared work , covering all forms of abuse pertaining to employment and self-employment. It expressed great concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrant workers with irregular status. Any cooperation between labour inspectors and immigration authorities should be limited to identifying abusive employers, and should not give rise to sanctions against the migrant workers concerned, as this would actually undermine the efforts to address undeclared work.

Parliament recognised that there is a growing trend towards bogus self-employment, outsourcing and subcontracting , which may lead to an increase in precarious jobs and a further deterioration of the already low protection levels for undeclared workers.

Members added that systems of general contractor liability could serve as useful tools for increasing compliance with labour standards throughout the whole production process.

Employment protection – workplace health and safety : Parliament advocated stiffer penalties with deterrent effect for companies that fail to meet their obligations in relation to employees’ basic rights, with the level of fine set above the profit gained from the circumvention.

Moreover, Parliament stated that labour inspections should be stepped up at SMEs and on small construction sites.

EU-level policy recommendations

More efficient cross-border exchanges of information : Parliament called on the Commission to establish a European Platform for labour inspectors on undeclared work within Eurofound , with a remit – as an additional task for the agency – to organise the work of the Platform and facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices, to reliable and comparative information, and to keep a record of letter-box companies. The Commission was also asked to:

· develop EU-wide further-training programmes for inspectorates that address challenges such as bogus self-employment and posting;

· investigate the benefits of introducing a forgery-proof European social security card , on which could be stored all the data needed to verify the bearer’s employment relationship, such as details on his or her social security status and working hours,

· carry out a pilot project for a European early-warning system modelled on RAPEX, aimed at signalling breaches of employment protection rules and instances of undeclared work, to be accompanied by a blacklist so that breaches of employment protection rules could more effectively be nipped in the bud;

· ensure that labour inspections can make full use of their right to non-discriminatory independent inspections in cross-border situations, regardless of the place of establishment of the company.

New legal initiatives at EU level : the resolution highlighted the lack of emphasis on improved implementation and on the role of labour inspectorates in existing directives , and also stressed that the matter of enforcement must be addressed in a better way in European labour law.

It called for:

· the promotion of the voluntary introduction of higher labour standards by companies through the establishment of a system of free-of-charge ‘social labels’ that are recognised at national or EU level;

specific EU-level control and monitoring campaigns focusing on the working conditions of young persons, in particular young migrants; guidelines on best practices, to enable scrutiny and control of the activities of temporary work agencies more effectively; a green book underpinning the role of labour inspectors and laying down EU labour-inspection standards and uniform training requirements in this area, while taking into account the differences between national labour markets; procedural rights and enforcement rights to be available to all workers; better ways of tackling instances of social dumping in the EU and appropriate instruments in this regard.

Documents
2014/01/14
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2014/01/13
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2013/12/12
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Jutta STEINRUCK (S&D, DE) on effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe.

It discussed the need to improve labour inspections and combat undeclared work in order to protect employees’ rights, and stressed the need to ensure sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the offence.

Inspection measures at national level

Principles for effective labour inspection : Members stressed the need to enhance the role of national labour inspectorates, and provide training for their senior staff so as to meet successfully new inspection challenges. They highlighted the following points:

inspection of occupational health must be handled by independent inspectors trained in health and safety, who might be assisted by representatives of the social partners. Members regretted that the management of occupational health and safety (OHS) was still being carried out, in certain Member States, by employer associations. additional, tripartite, sectoral inspectorates representing government, workers and employers , should be created and as a pilot initiative, be brought into operation in those Member States with the highest levels of undeclared work; national action plans were needed for strengthening labour inspection mechanisms, and for financing them through the European Structural Funds ;

Member States should increase the staffing levels of, and the resources available to, their labour inspectorates and meet the target of one inspector for every 10 000 workers , as recommended by the ILO, as well as impose more severe penalties on firms that fail to comply with their obligations concerning fundamental rights (salaries, working hours and OHS). The committee voiced its concern at the understaffing of Member States’ inspection authorities and the need for uniform training of labour inspectors, in particular on Europe-wide issues;

where abuse is uncovered, workers concerned (including migrant workers in an irregular situation) as well as any whistleblowers involved must be protected , and helped to assert their rights at no cost; the rights of inspectors to inspect companies that provide contract labour must be extended, and inspections must cover the observance of rules on rates of pay and working conditions, as well as the application of minimum wages where required by Member State law or national collective agreements; Member States should ratify ILO Convention No 189 and implement measures for labour inspection, enforcement and penalties, in the area of domestic work.

The report deplored the problematically high incidence of bogus self-employment , particularly in the construction and meat-processing sector, and called for Member States to introduce appropriate inspection measures distinguishing between bogus and legitimate self-employment.

Undeclared work: Members called on national labour inspectorates to draw up action plans to combat undeclared work , covering all forms of abuse pertaining to employment and self-employment. It expressed great concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrant workers with irregular status. Any cooperation between labour inspectors and immigration authorities should be limited to identifying abusive employers, and should not give rise to sanctions against, or expulsions of, the migrant workers concerned, as this would actually undermine the efforts to address undeclared work.

Members added that, in view of the growing trend towards bogus self-employment, systems of general contractor liability could serve as useful tools for increasing compliance with labour standards throughout the whole production process.

Employment protection – workplace health and safety : the committee drew attention to the problem of implementing workplace health and safety rules in instances where employees do undeclared work and advocated stiffer penalties with deterrent effect for companies that fail to meet their obligations in relation to employees’ basic rights. Member States should set the level of fine above the profit gained from the circumvention.

EU-level policy recommendations

More efficient cross-border exchanges of information : Members stressed the need for effective cooperation between national authorities and the social partners and called on the Commission to establish a European Platform for labour inspectors on undeclared work within Eurofound , with a remit – as an additional task for the agency – to organise the work of the Platform and facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices, to reliable and comparative information, and to keep a record of letter-box companies. The Commission was also asked to:

develop EU-wide further-training programmes for inspectorates that address challenges such as bogus self-employment and posting; investigate the benefits of introducing a forgery-proof European social security card , on which could be stored all the data needed to verify the bearer’s employment relationship, such as details on his or her social security status and working hours, carry out a pilot project for a European early-warning system modelled on RAPEX, aimed at signalling breaches of employment protection rules and instances of undeclared work that would promote the rapid exchange of information between Member States, and that would be accompanied by a blacklist so that breaches of employment protection rules could more effectively be nipped in the bud; ensure that labour inspections can make full use of their right to non-discriminatory independent inspections in cross-border situations, regardless of the place of establishment of the company.

New legal initiatives at EU level : the committee highlighted the lack of emphasis on improved implementation and on the role of labour inspectorates in existing directives, and also stressed that the matter of enforcement must be addressed in a better way in European labour law.

It called on the Commission and Member States, where appropriate to:

promote the voluntary introduction of higher labour standards by companies through the establishment of a system of free-of-charge ‘social labels’ that are recognised at national or EU level; put in place specific EU-level control and monitoring campaigns focusing on the working conditions of young persons, in particular young migrants; provide Member States with guidelines on best practices, so that they are able to scrutinise and control the activities of temporary work agencies more effectively; propose a green book underpinning the role of labour inspectors and laying down EU labour-inspection standards and uniform training requirements in this area, while taking into account the differences between national labour markets.

Documents
2013/11/26
   EP - Vote in committee
2013/10/14
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2013/09/05
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2013/06/13
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2013/04/17
   EP - STEINRUCK Jutta (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in EMPL

Documents

Activities

Votes

A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 19/1 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 614, 0: 62, -: 13
DE FR ES IT GB PL RO PT SE HU BE EL AT NL BG IE FI SK CZ DK HR LT LV SI LU EE CY MT ??
Total
91
61
49
65
67
44
27
21
20
21
19
20
18
24
16
12
12
12
19
11
12
10
8
7
6
6
5
4
1
icon: PPE PPE
244

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
2

Malta PPE

2
icon: S&D S&D
178

Netherlands S&D

3

Ireland S&D

2

Finland S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

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1

Luxembourg S&D

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1

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1

Cyprus S&D

1
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78

Greece ALDE

1

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1

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1
3

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50

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4

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A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 19/2 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 365, -: 304, 0: 6
EL SE BE AT NL DE FR DK IE BG ES LT FI EE CY PT CZ HR SK RO ?? MT LV LU SI HU IT GB PL
Total
20
19
21
18
24
88
58
9
11
15
48
10
12
6
5
20
18
12
12
27
1
5
6
6
7
21
63
67
45
icon: S&D S&D
171

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2

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2

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2

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1

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1

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1

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1

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1
icon: ALDE ALDE
76

Greece ALDE

1

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1
3

Lithuania ALDE

1

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1

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1

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1

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2
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50

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1

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4

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A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 24/2 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 365, -: 298, 0: 27
EL FR BE DK SE DE ES AT BG IE EE FI LT NL SK HR RO PT CY ?? MT LU SI IT CZ LV HU GB PL
Total
20
60
21
11
20
89
49
18
15
12
6
12
10
25
12
12
27
21
5
1
5
6
7
65
17
8
21
68
46
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177

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2

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1

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77

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1
3

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1

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2

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1
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A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 33/1 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 616, -: 61, 0: 10
DE IT FR ES PL RO EL BE PT HU AT NL BG SE IE FI SK DK LT HR LV LU SI EE CY CZ MT GB ??
Total
89
64
60
48
46
27
20
21
21
21
18
24
15
19
12
12
12
11
10
12
8
6
7
5
5
19
5
68
1
icon: PPE PPE
243

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

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3

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4

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1
2

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2

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2
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177

Netherlands S&D

3

Ireland S&D

2

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2

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1

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1

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1

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1
icon: ALDE ALDE
78

Greece ALDE

1

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1

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1
3

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1

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1

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1

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2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
49

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1

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1

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2

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3
3

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4
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33

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icon: EFD EFD
28

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2

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1

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1

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1

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1

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1

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1

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2
icon: NI NI
27

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2

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2

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1

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1

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1

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1

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1

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5

NI

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1
icon: ECR ECR
51

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2

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1

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1

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1

A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 33/2 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 389, -: 283, 0: 13
EL AT FR BE DE NL SE DK ES FI IE BG EE GB LT SK HR RO PT CZ MT LU CY SI LV ?? IT HU PL
Total
20
18
59
20
88
25
20
11
47
12
12
16
6
68
10
12
12
27
21
19
5
6
4
7
7
1
65
21
45
icon: S&D S&D
177

Netherlands S&D

3

Finland S&D

2

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2

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1

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1

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1

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1

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1
icon: ALDE ALDE
75

Greece ALDE

1

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1
3

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Abstain (1)

3

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1

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For (1)

1

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For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
51

Greece Verts/ALE

1

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2

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3

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2

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4

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Against (2)

Abstain (1)

5

Romania NI

1

NI

Against (1)

1

Italy NI

2

Hungary NI

Against (1)

3
icon: ECR ECR
52

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Italy ECR

2

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
243

Belgium PPE

Against (1)

4

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Czechia PPE

2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Cyprus PPE

2

A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 33/3 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 539, -: 134, 0: 14
DE IT FR ES PL EL PT HU RO AT SE BE SK HR FI BG LT MT CZ IE DK SI LV LU ?? CY NL EE GB
Total
90
65
60
46
43
20
21
21
27
18
20
21
12
12
12
16
10
5
18
12
11
7
8
6
1
5
25
6
68
icon: PPE PPE
241

Malta PPE

2

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Latvia PPE

Against (1)

3

Luxembourg PPE

Against (1)

3
2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
176

Finland S&D

2

Ireland S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Netherlands S&D

3

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
52

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
32

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

4

Sweden GUE/NGL

1

Croatia GUE/NGL

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

2

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1
icon: EFD EFD
28

Poland EFD

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

4

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Bulgaria EFD

For (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

2

Denmark EFD

1

Netherlands EFD

Abstain (1)

1
icon: NI NI
27

Italy NI

2

France NI

2

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

1

Ireland NI

For (1)

1

NI

For (1)

1
5
icon: ECR ECR
52

Italy ECR

Against (1)

2

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
78

Greece ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovakia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Finland ALDE

For (1)

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

3

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 55/1 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 384, -: 282, 0: 20
EL AT FR BE NL SE DK DE ES BG FI EE IE LT SK PT HR LV RO CZ ?? MT LU SI CY GB HU IT PL
Total
20
18
61
21
25
20
11
89
47
16
12
5
12
10
12
20
12
7
27
19
1
5
6
7
5
67
21
65
44
icon: S&D S&D
175

Netherlands S&D

3

Finland S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Ireland S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
76

Greece ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

1
3

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

4

Lithuania ALDE

1

Slovakia ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
51

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Finland Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
33

Greece GUE/NGL

3

Netherlands GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2

Sweden GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Croatia GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1
icon: NI NI
27

France NI

2

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Spain NI

1

Bulgaria NI

1

Ireland NI

For (1)

1

Romania NI

1

NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

Against (1)

3

Italy NI

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2
icon: EFD EFD
27

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

Against (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Bulgaria EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

2

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Poland EFD

For (1)

3
icon: ECR ECR
52

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

Italy ECR

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2
icon: PPE PPE
244

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Czechia PPE

2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Cyprus PPE

2

A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - § 55/2 #

2014/01/14 Outcome: -: 374, +: 288, 0: 22
AT FR IE DK BE ES EL PT CZ LU FI SK MT SE LT HR ?? LV EE CY SI BG IT RO DE HU NL PL GB
Total
16
61
12
11
21
48
19
21
19
6
12
12
4
20
10
11
1
8
6
5
7
16
62
26
91
21
25
46
66
icon: S&D S&D
174

Ireland S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

Malta S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Netherlands S&D

3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
52

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

4

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
33

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

3

Sweden GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Croatia GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
26

Austria NI

Abstain (1)

3

France NI

2

Ireland NI

For (1)

1

Belgium NI

Abstain (1)

1

Spain NI

1

NI

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

1

Italy NI

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Romania NI

1

Hungary NI

Against (1)

3
icon: EFD EFD
28

Denmark EFD

1

Belgium EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Bulgaria EFD

For (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

Against (1)

1

Poland EFD

Against (1)

4
icon: ALDE ALDE
76

Denmark ALDE

3

Spain ALDE

2

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Finland ALDE

For (1)

3

Slovakia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2
icon: ECR ECR
50

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Italy ECR

Against (1)

2

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
244

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Czechia PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Malta PPE

2

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

2

A7-0458/2013 - Jutta Steinruck - Résolution #

2014/01/14 Outcome: +: 586, -: 58, 0: 47
DE FR IT ES PL RO PT SE HU EL AT BE BG IE FI SK DK HR LT NL SI LV LU EE CZ MT CY ?? GB
Total
90
60
65
47
46
27
21
20
21
20
17
21
16
12
12
12
11
12
10
25
7
8
6
6
19
5
5
1
68
icon: PPE PPE
245

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Czechia PPE

2

Malta PPE

2
2
icon: S&D S&D
177

Ireland S&D

2

Finland S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

3

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
77

Greece ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

1

Slovakia ALDE

For (1)

1
3

Lithuania ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
51

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

4

Finland Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
33

Spain GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Sweden GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Croatia GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Latvia GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1
icon: NI NI
27

France NI

2

Italy NI

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

1

Belgium NI

Abstain (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

1

Ireland NI

For (1)

1

NI

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
28

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Bulgaria EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Lithuania EFD

2

Netherlands EFD

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
52

Italy ECR

Against (1)

2

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
221 2013/2112(INI)
2013/10/14 EMPL 221 amendments...
source: PE-521.490

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

events/3/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-7-2014-01-13-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
committees/0/shadows/3
name
HÄNDEL Thomas
group
European United Left - Nordic Green Left
abbr
GUE/NGL
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE516.942
New
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docs/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE521.490
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/EMPL-AM-521490_EN.html
events/0/type
Old
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament
events/1/type
Old
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2013-12-12T00:00:00
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Committee report tabled for plenary
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EP
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summary
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2013-12-12T00:00:00
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Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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summary
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docs
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summary
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 54
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 052
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
rapporteur
name: STEINRUCK Jutta date: 2013-04-17T00:00:00 group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
committees/0
type
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EMPL
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New
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events/5/docs/0/url
Old
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New
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activities
  • date: 2013-06-13T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: BOULLAND Philippe group: ALDE name: KACIN Jelko group: Verts/ALE name: DELLI Karima group: GUE/NGL name: HÄNDEL Thomas responsible: True committee: EMPL date: 2013-04-17T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: STEINRUCK Jutta
  • date: 2013-11-26T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: BOULLAND Philippe group: ALDE name: KACIN Jelko group: Verts/ALE name: DELLI Karima group: GUE/NGL name: HÄNDEL Thomas responsible: True committee: EMPL date: 2013-04-17T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: STEINRUCK Jutta
  • date: 2013-12-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2013-0458&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0458/2013 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2014-01-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20140113&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2014-01-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=23847&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2014-0012 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0012/2014 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
commission
  • body: EC dg: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commissioner: ANDOR László
committees/0
type
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committee_full
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committee
EMPL
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rapporteur
name: STEINRUCK Jutta group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
committees/0
body
EP
shadows
responsible
True
committee
EMPL
date
2013-04-17T00:00:00
committee_full
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rapporteur
group: S&D name: STEINRUCK Jutta
docs
  • date: 2013-09-05T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE516.942 title: PE516.942 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2013-10-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE521.490 title: PE521.490 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2014-05-26T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=23847&j=0&l=en title: SP(2014)320 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2013-06-13T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2013-11-26T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2013-12-12T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2013-0458&language=EN title: A7-0458/2013 summary: The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Jutta STEINRUCK (S&D, DE) on effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe. It discussed the need to improve labour inspections and combat undeclared work in order to protect employees’ rights, and stressed the need to ensure sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the offence. Inspection measures at national level Principles for effective labour inspection : Members stressed the need to enhance the role of national labour inspectorates, and provide training for their senior staff so as to meet successfully new inspection challenges. They highlighted the following points: inspection of occupational health must be handled by independent inspectors trained in health and safety, who might be assisted by representatives of the social partners. Members regretted that the management of occupational health and safety (OHS) was still being carried out, in certain Member States, by employer associations. additional, tripartite, sectoral inspectorates representing government, workers and employers , should be created and as a pilot initiative, be brought into operation in those Member States with the highest levels of undeclared work; national action plans were needed for strengthening labour inspection mechanisms, and for financing them through the European Structural Funds ; Member States should increase the staffing levels of, and the resources available to, their labour inspectorates and meet the target of one inspector for every 10 000 workers , as recommended by the ILO, as well as impose more severe penalties on firms that fail to comply with their obligations concerning fundamental rights (salaries, working hours and OHS). The committee voiced its concern at the understaffing of Member States’ inspection authorities and the need for uniform training of labour inspectors, in particular on Europe-wide issues; where abuse is uncovered, workers concerned (including migrant workers in an irregular situation) as well as any whistleblowers involved must be protected , and helped to assert their rights at no cost; the rights of inspectors to inspect companies that provide contract labour must be extended, and inspections must cover the observance of rules on rates of pay and working conditions, as well as the application of minimum wages where required by Member State law or national collective agreements; Member States should ratify ILO Convention No 189 and implement measures for labour inspection, enforcement and penalties, in the area of domestic work. The report deplored the problematically high incidence of bogus self-employment , particularly in the construction and meat-processing sector, and called for Member States to introduce appropriate inspection measures distinguishing between bogus and legitimate self-employment. Undeclared work: Members called on national labour inspectorates to draw up action plans to combat undeclared work , covering all forms of abuse pertaining to employment and self-employment. It expressed great concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrant workers with irregular status. Any cooperation between labour inspectors and immigration authorities should be limited to identifying abusive employers, and should not give rise to sanctions against, or expulsions of, the migrant workers concerned, as this would actually undermine the efforts to address undeclared work. Members added that, in view of the growing trend towards bogus self-employment, systems of general contractor liability could serve as useful tools for increasing compliance with labour standards throughout the whole production process. Employment protection – workplace health and safety : the committee drew attention to the problem of implementing workplace health and safety rules in instances where employees do undeclared work and advocated stiffer penalties with deterrent effect for companies that fail to meet their obligations in relation to employees’ basic rights. Member States should set the level of fine above the profit gained from the circumvention. EU-level policy recommendations More efficient cross-border exchanges of information : Members stressed the need for effective cooperation between national authorities and the social partners and called on the Commission to establish a European Platform for labour inspectors on undeclared work within Eurofound , with a remit – as an additional task for the agency – to organise the work of the Platform and facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices, to reliable and comparative information, and to keep a record of letter-box companies. The Commission was also asked to: develop EU-wide further-training programmes for inspectorates that address challenges such as bogus self-employment and posting; investigate the benefits of introducing a forgery-proof European social security card , on which could be stored all the data needed to verify the bearer’s employment relationship, such as details on his or her social security status and working hours, carry out a pilot project for a European early-warning system modelled on RAPEX, aimed at signalling breaches of employment protection rules and instances of undeclared work that would promote the rapid exchange of information between Member States, and that would be accompanied by a blacklist so that breaches of employment protection rules could more effectively be nipped in the bud; ensure that labour inspections can make full use of their right to non-discriminatory independent inspections in cross-border situations, regardless of the place of establishment of the company. New legal initiatives at EU level : the committee highlighted the lack of emphasis on improved implementation and on the role of labour inspectorates in existing directives, and also stressed that the matter of enforcement must be addressed in a better way in European labour law. It called on the Commission and Member States, where appropriate to: promote the voluntary introduction of higher labour standards by companies through the establishment of a system of free-of-charge ‘social labels’ that are recognised at national or EU level; put in place specific EU-level control and monitoring campaigns focusing on the working conditions of young persons, in particular young migrants; provide Member States with guidelines on best practices, so that they are able to scrutinise and control the activities of temporary work agencies more effectively; propose a green book underpinning the role of labour inspectors and laying down EU labour-inspection standards and uniform training requirements in this area, while taking into account the differences between national labour markets.
  • date: 2014-01-13T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20140113&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2014-01-14T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=23847&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2014-01-14T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2014-0012 title: T7-0012/2014 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 586 votes to 58 with 47 abstentions a resolution on effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe. It discussed the need to improve labour inspections and combat undeclared work, which currently accounts for 18.8 % of GDP in the EU 27 and for over 30 % in certain countries. Parliament stressed the need to ensure sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the offence. Inspection measures at national level Principles for effective labour inspection : Parliament wants to see the role of national labour inspectorates enhanced, and stressed the need to provide training for their senior staff so as to meet successfully new inspection challenges. They highlighted the following points: · inspection of occupational health must be handled by independent inspectors (and not by employer associations) trained in health and safety, who might be assisted by representatives of the social partners; · inspectorates representing government, workers and employers , should be created and as a pilot initiative, be brought into operation in those Member States with the highest levels of undeclared work; · national action plans were needed for strengthening labour inspection mechanisms, and for financing them through the European Structural Funds ; · the social partners must be involved in the design and formulation of national labour inspection plans and in the labour inspections themselves; · Member States should increase the resources and staffing levels of their labour inspectorates and meet the target of one inspector for every 10 000 workers , as well as impose more severe penalties on firms that fail to comply with their obligations concerning fundamental rights (salaries, working hours and OHS); · Parliament stressed that the financial reforms being carried out in certain Member States must under no circumstances result in reductions of the manpower, funding, and material and technical infrastructural resources of labour inspectorates; · where abuse is uncovered, workers concerned (including migrant workers in an irregular situation) as well as any whistleblowers involved must be protected , and helped to assert their rights at no cost; · the rights of inspectors to inspect companies that provide contract labour must be extended, and inspections must cover the observance of rules on rates of pay and working conditions, as well as the application of minimum wages where required by Member State law or national collective agreements; · Member States should ratify ILO Convention No 189 and implement measures for labour inspection, enforcement and penalties, in the area of domestic work. Parliament deplored the problematically high incidence of bogus self-employment , particularly in the construction and meat-processing sector. Member States should introduce appropriate inspection measures distinguishing between bogus and legitimate self-employment. Undeclared work: Parliament called on national labour inspectorates to draw up action plans to combat undeclared work , covering all forms of abuse pertaining to employment and self-employment. It expressed great concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrant workers with irregular status. Any cooperation between labour inspectors and immigration authorities should be limited to identifying abusive employers, and should not give rise to sanctions against the migrant workers concerned, as this would actually undermine the efforts to address undeclared work. Parliament recognised that there is a growing trend towards bogus self-employment, outsourcing and subcontracting , which may lead to an increase in precarious jobs and a further deterioration of the already low protection levels for undeclared workers. Members added that systems of general contractor liability could serve as useful tools for increasing compliance with labour standards throughout the whole production process. Employment protection – workplace health and safety : Parliament advocated stiffer penalties with deterrent effect for companies that fail to meet their obligations in relation to employees’ basic rights, with the level of fine set above the profit gained from the circumvention. Moreover, Parliament stated that labour inspections should be stepped up at SMEs and on small construction sites. EU-level policy recommendations More efficient cross-border exchanges of information : Parliament called on the Commission to establish a European Platform for labour inspectors on undeclared work within Eurofound , with a remit – as an additional task for the agency – to organise the work of the Platform and facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices, to reliable and comparative information, and to keep a record of letter-box companies. The Commission was also asked to: · develop EU-wide further-training programmes for inspectorates that address challenges such as bogus self-employment and posting; · investigate the benefits of introducing a forgery-proof European social security card , on which could be stored all the data needed to verify the bearer’s employment relationship, such as details on his or her social security status and working hours, · carry out a pilot project for a European early-warning system modelled on RAPEX, aimed at signalling breaches of employment protection rules and instances of undeclared work, to be accompanied by a blacklist so that breaches of employment protection rules could more effectively be nipped in the bud; · ensure that labour inspections can make full use of their right to non-discriminatory independent inspections in cross-border situations, regardless of the place of establishment of the company. New legal initiatives at EU level : the resolution highlighted the lack of emphasis on improved implementation and on the role of labour inspectorates in existing directives , and also stressed that the matter of enforcement must be addressed in a better way in European labour law. It called for: · the promotion of the voluntary introduction of higher labour standards by companies through the establishment of a system of free-of-charge ‘social labels’ that are recognised at national or EU level; specific EU-level control and monitoring campaigns focusing on the working conditions of young persons, in particular young migrants; guidelines on best practices, to enable scrutiny and control of the activities of temporary work agencies more effectively; a green book underpinning the role of labour inspectors and laying down EU labour-inspection standards and uniform training requirements in this area, while taking into account the differences between national labour markets; procedural rights and enforcement rights to be available to all workers; better ways of tackling instances of social dumping in the EU and appropriate instruments in this regard.
  • date: 2014-01-14T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
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  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/social/ title: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commissioner: ANDOR László
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  • The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Jutta STEINRUCK (S&D, DE) on effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe.

    It discussed the need to improve labour inspections and combat undeclared work in order to protect employees’ rights, and stressed the need to ensure sanctions commensurate with the seriousness of the offence.

    Inspection measures at national level

    Principles for effective labour inspection: Members stressed the need to enhance the role of national labour inspectorates, and provide training for their senior staff so as to meet successfully new inspection challenges. They highlighted the following points:

    • inspection of occupational health must be handled by independent inspectors trained in health and safety, who might be assisted by representatives of the social partners. Members regretted that the management of occupational health and safety (OHS) was still being carried out, in certain Member States, by employer associations.
    • additional, tripartite, sectoral inspectorates representing government, workers and employers, should be created and as a pilot initiative, be brought into operation in those Member States with the highest levels of undeclared work;
    • national action plans were needed for strengthening labour inspection mechanisms, and for financing them through the European Structural Funds;

    Member States should increase the staffing levels of, and the resources available to, their labour inspectorates and meet the target of one inspector for every 10 000 workers, as recommended by the ILO, as well as impose more severe penalties on firms that fail to comply with their obligations concerning fundamental rights (salaries, working hours and OHS). The committee voiced its concern at the understaffing of Member States’ inspection authorities and the need for uniform training of labour inspectors, in particular on Europe-wide issues;

    • where abuse is uncovered, workers concerned (including migrant workers in an irregular situation) as well as any whistleblowers involved must be protected, and helped to assert their rights at no cost;
    • the rights of inspectors to inspect companies that provide contract labour must be extended, and inspections must cover the observance of rules on rates of pay and working conditions, as well as the application of minimum wages where required by Member State law or national collective agreements;
    • Member States should ratify ILO Convention No 189 and implement measures for labour inspection, enforcement and penalties, in the area of domestic work.

    The report deplored the problematically high incidence of bogus self-employment, particularly in the construction and meat-processing sector, and called for Member States to introduce appropriate inspection measures distinguishing between bogus and legitimate self-employment.

    Undeclared work: Members called on national labour inspectorates to draw up action plans to combat undeclared work, covering all forms of abuse pertaining to employment and self-employment. It expressed great concern at the extreme vulnerability of migrant workers with irregular status. Any cooperation between labour inspectors and immigration authorities should be limited to identifying abusive employers, and should not give rise to sanctions against, or expulsions of, the migrant workers concerned, as this would actually undermine the efforts to address undeclared work.

    Members added that, in view of the growing trend towards bogus self-employment, systems of general contractor liability could serve as useful tools for increasing compliance with labour standards throughout the whole production process.

    Employment protection – workplace health and safety: the committee drew attention to the problem of implementing workplace health and safety rules in instances where employees do undeclared work and advocated stiffer penalties with deterrent effect for companies that fail to meet their obligations in relation to employees’ basic rights. Member States should set the level of fine above the profit gained from the circumvention.

    EU-level policy recommendations

    More efficient cross-border exchanges of information: Members stressed the need for effective cooperation between national authorities and the social partners and called on the Commission to establish a European Platform for labour inspectors on undeclared work within Eurofound, with a remit – as an additional task for the agency – to organise the work of the Platform and facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices, to reliable and comparative information, and to keep a record of letter-box companies. The Commission was also asked to:

    • develop EU-wide further-training programmes for inspectorates that address challenges such as bogus self-employment and posting;
    • investigate the benefits of introducing a forgery-proof European social security card, on which could be stored all the data needed to verify the bearer’s employment relationship, such as details on his or her social security status and working hours,
    • carry out a pilot project for a European early-warning system modelled on RAPEX, aimed at signalling breaches of employment protection rules and instances of undeclared work that would promote the rapid exchange of information between Member States, and that would be accompanied by a blacklist so that breaches of employment protection rules could more effectively be nipped in the bud;
    • ensure that labour inspections can make full use of their right to non-discriminatory independent inspections in cross-border situations, regardless of the place of establishment of the company.

    New legal initiatives at EU level: the committee highlighted the lack of emphasis on improved implementation and on the role of labour inspectorates in existing directives, and also stressed that the matter of enforcement must be addressed in a better way in European labour law.

    It called on the Commission and Member States, where appropriate to:

    • promote the voluntary introduction of higher labour standards by companies through the establishment of a system of free-of-charge ‘social labels’ that are recognised at national or EU level;
    • put in place specific EU-level control and monitoring campaigns focusing on the working conditions of young persons, in particular young migrants;
    • provide Member States with guidelines on best practices, so that they are able to scrutinise and control the activities of temporary work agencies more effectively;
    • propose a green book underpinning the role of labour inspectors and laying down EU labour-inspection standards and uniform training requirements in this area, while taking into account the differences between national labour markets.
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  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/social/ title: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commissioner: ANDOR László
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Effective labour inspections as a strategy to improve working conditions in Europe
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4.15.04 Workforce, occupational mobility, job conversion, working conditions