NoC313/70 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisionontheProtection
ofYoungPeopleatWork(*)
(92/C313/19)
On1April1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle118AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforSocial,Family,EducationalandCulturalAffairs,whichwasresponsiblefor
preparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinion10September1992.
TheRapporteurwasMrvanDijk.
Atits299thPlenarySession(meetingof24September1992)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyalargemajority,with28votesagainstand
5abstentions .
1.Generalcomments mentofchildrenandadolescents,especiallyinthelight
oftheCouncilDirective91/533/EEConcontracts/
employmentrelationship (3),applicablealsotothe
employmentofyoungpeople. 1.1.Subjecttothepointswhichfollow,theCom­
mitteewelcomestheproposalforaCouncilDirective,
whichgenerallyconformstotheprinciplesandpro­
visionssetoutintheSocialCharter(points20to23)
andtotheviewsexpressedbytheEconomicandSocial
CommitteeinitsOpinionsonBasicCommunitySocial
RightsandontheOrganisationofWorkingTime(2).1.4.TheCommissionproposalmight,ontheother
hand,stressalittlemorethebenefitsintermsof
developinghumanresources.Therecanalsobesound
economicsenseinbanningchildlabour,investingmuch
moreinyoutheducationandtraining,andhavingless
recoursetoprematureandunskilledformsofprecarious
employmentforyoungpeople.Today'syouthistomor­
row'sgeneration.Well-educated youngpeoplewill
meanawell-educated generationmorecapableof
matchingthechangingneedsofamodernEuropean
labourmarket.1.2.Thequestionofchildlabourandtheneedto
protectthehealthandsafetyofyoungpeopleatwork
havelongbeenconsideredillustrativeofthedegreeto
whichsocietyiscommittedornottocivilisedstandards
ofwell-beingandtobasichumanrights.Itisaltogether
appropriate,andnotbeforetime,thattheEuropean
CommunityshouldendeavourtoensurebasicEC-wide
provisionsinthisfield,respectfulofthenationalautho­
rities'roleandprerogatives .1.5.Atthesametime,itisvitaltoaddressinunison
theoccupationalhealthrisksandaccidentsatwork
involvingyoungpeople.TheCommitteeisindeedalar­
medthatyoungpeoplehavetwiceasmanyaccidents
asadultsduringtheirfirstyearofwork,andthat
thereisdirectcorrelationbetweenthenumberofsite
accidentsandtheskilllevelofyoungtrainees(4).Itis
likewiseworryingtoponderthenumberofundeclared
accidentsandillnessesinvolvingchildrenworking,or
beingforcedtowork,inthe'blackeconomy',orinthe
greyzoneof'seasonal'or'traditional'jobsandservices.
ClosermonitoringbytheCommission ,moreharddata
fromnationalauthoritiesandtighterregulationinthis
areaareallcalledforasanaccompaniment tothe
proposedDirective.1.3.Inattemptingtostrikea'fairbalance'between
the'definitionofabasisofminimum(EC)provisions'
andthe'necessaryflexibility'requiredbyMember
Statestopursuetheirownnationalemploymentprac­
ticesandtraditions (see5th'Whereas'andArticle3.3),
theCommissionhas,however,introducedanexcessof
loopholesandderogations .TheCommitteewoulddraw
theCommission'sattentiontothefactthattheILOhas
drawnupstandardsinthisregardwhicharesometimes
stricter.Theproposalshouldmakeitclearthatnational
authoritiesarefreetochoosetheformandmethodsfor
implementingtheproposalandthatmorestringent
nationalmeasurescanbemaintainedorintroduced;
butthisshouldnotrequiretheCommissiontoleave
toomanylooseendsasregardstheresultstobeachiev­
ed.Norshouldtherebeanyimplicitcondonationof
'traditional'formsofparallelorundeclaredemploy­1.6.TheCommitteeassumesthattheprovisionsof
theproposedDirectivedonotconflictwithcompulsory
educationprovisionsintheMemberStates.
(3)OJNoL288,18.10.1991.
(!)OJNoC84,4.4.1992,p.7.
(2)OJNoC126,26.5.1989andOJNoC60,8.3.1991.(4)SeeCOM(91)543final—SYN383,ExplanatoryMemor­
andum,point7.

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/71
2.Specificcomments 2.5.Article3
2.5.1.TheCommitteewelcomesthegeneralobjec­
tiveinArticle3.2toprohibitchildwork.Derogations
shouldbetheexception,nottherule.2.1.Legalbasis—Article118a
2.1.1.ThesubjectmatterandproposedDirectiveare
indisputablyabouttheworkingenvironmentandhealth
andsafetyattheworkplace.Thelegalbasisproposed
isthereforeappropriate .
2.1.2.Afterthe2nd'Whereas',concerningSMEs
underparagraph2ofArticle118a,itmightalsobe
usefultorefertoparagraph3ofthesameArticlein
ordertostressthatMemberStatescanmaintainor
introduce'morestringentmeasures'thantheminimum
basisproposedfortheprotectionofyoungpeopleat
work.2.5.2.Work-training schemesandapprenticeships ,
under3.2(b),requirecloserscrutinyintermsofhealth
andsafetyandworkingconditionscommensurate with
age,especiallyforthesignificantnumberofdubious
low-skilledorunskilledworkexperienceplacement
schemeswhichsomeMemberStateshaveresortedtoin
orderto'reduce'officialyouthunemployment statistics.
TheCommitteewouldagainstresstheneedforquality
trainingunderbetterandsaferconditions(jointlymoni­
toredforexamplebythesocialpartnersandbythe
appropriateauthorities)inordertoturnoutyoung
workersproperlyequippedtomatchthechangingneeds
ofamodernEuropeanlabourmarket.2.2.9th'Whereas'
2.5.3.Childrenbeingabletoperform'lightwork'
underArticle3.2(c),needstobelookedintoagain
inconsiderationofpoint2.4.2above.However,the
minimumagelaiddowninArticle3.2(c)shouldbe14.InadditiontocitingtheSocialCharterandthenthe
resolutionoftheEuropeanParliament,theCommission
mightalsoconsiderreferringtotheEconomicand
SocialCommitteeOpiniononBasicCommunitySocial
Rights,whichspecificallyaddressedthequestionof
childlabour(*),andtotheOpinionontheOrganisation
ofWorkingTime,whichcalledforanEC-widebanon
nightworkingbyyoungpeople(2). 2.5.4.Article3.3oftheDirectiveshouldbedeleted.
ThiscanbedonebecauseArticle3.2(c)allowsfor
childrentoperform'lightwork'.Asrecommended in
2.4.2aboveanegativelistofactivitieswhichdonot
qualifyaslightworkshouldbeannexedtothisDirec­
tive.2.3.Article1
ThisArticlestipulatesthattheDirectiveshallnotapply
tothoseworkingfortheirfamily.TheCommittee,
however,takestheviewthatthislimitationshouldnot
affecttheprovisions(Articles5,6and7)inthefieldsof
safetyandhealth;thoseprovisionsoftheDirectiveare
indeedapplicabletoworkofaneconomickindfora
family.2.6.Article4
ThederogationsallowedunderArticle4shouldbe
clarified,takingaccountofthefrequencyandduration
oftheactivities.Moreover,theequivalentoftheEnglish
term'employment'(alwaysmeaningpaidwork)must
beusedinalllanguageversionsoftheDirective.2.4.Article2
2.4.1.Inpoint(a),theCommissionmightusefully
refertotheafore-mentioned CouncilDirective91/533/
EECconcerningan'employmentrelationship'.
2.4.2.Thedefinitionof'lightwork'underpoint(d)
shouldbefurtherclarifiedandtightenedup,e.g.in
relationtoArticle3.2(c).'Lightwork'hasnotbeen
adequatelydefined.Itwouldbebettertoincludeinthe
Annexacomprehensive ,butnotexhaustive,listof
activitieswhichdonotqualifyaslightwork.The
listcouldbeamplifiedbycaselaw,andbycollective
bargaining .2.7.Article5
2.7.1.Amongstthework-related'risks'indicatedin
Article5.2,ofwhicha'non-exhaustive 'listissetout
inAnnexI,theCommissionshouldaddthatofyoung
peoplebeingputatpotentialriskbyhavingtowork
with,andhandle,significantsumsofmoney.
(J)OJNoC126,26.5.1989,op.cit„pointII1B,8thindent.
(2)OJNoC60,8.3.1991,op.cit.,point1.13.2.7.2.TheCommitteefeelsthatyoungpeopleshould
befullyinformedastothepossibleconsequencesof

NoC313/72 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.11.92
theirworkfortheirhealthandsafetybeforetheystart
work.Thisshouldbeclarifiedbeforehand,ratherthan
beingevaluatedaftertheevent.
ClarificationastohowtheDirectivewouldapplyis
requiredasregards:
—anexistingjobformerlyheldbyanadultandnow
tobeoccupiedbyayoungperson.Astudymust
becarriedoutoftheconsequencesfortheyoung
people'shealthandsafety;thismaybedoneonthe
basisofaccumulatedexperience;
—anexistingjobalreadybeingdonebyayoung
person;Article6oftheDirectiveapplies;
—anewjobtobedonebyayoungperson.Aprior
studymustbecarriedoutofthepossiblerisksfor
youngpeople.of'lightwork',underArticle8.1,whichyoungpeople
whoareinfull-timeeducationcouldbeexpectedto
performonaschoolday.Theprovisothatthisshould
not'prejudice'theirattendanceortheircapacityto
benefitfromschoolinstructionisvagueandweak(how
doeshomeworkfitinforinstance?).TheArticleshould
alsocoveryoungpeopleintrainingestablishments .The
totalhoursofattendanceatschoolpluspost-school
workforyoungpeoplemaynotexceed8hoursaday
and40hoursaweek.
2.10.2.Article8.4shouldbedeleted.
2.10.3.Anewparagraphshouldbeaddedto
Article8forbiddingSundayworkbychildrenandstipu­
latingthatyoungpeoplemayonlyworkonSundays
undersupervisionandinaccordancewithschool­
apprenticeship agreements .
2.8.Article6
Theexceptionsallowedunderthesecondpartofthis
Articleshouldbeclarified.IntheCommittee'sview
theyareonlypossibleinthecaseoftrainingagreements .
Moreover,theexpression'essential'shouldbedefined
inordertomeettheneedsofvocationaltraining.Pro­
videdthatsupervisionandexpertguidancearereferred
to,theCommitteeendorsesthisArticle,althoughitis
awareoftheconsequencesforSMEs.
ThemedicalsurveillancereferredtoinArticle6.3must
beguaranteedforallyoungworkersandnotjustfor
thoseexposedtorisks,inordertoavoidanypossible
effectonthehealthanddevelopmentofyoungpeople.2.11.Article9
TheCommitteeconsidersILOConventions 79and90
preferableinapproachtothecurrentdraftCommission
textonnightworkofyoungpersons.Itwouldsuggest
thatArticle9.1berevisedtoreadasfollows:
'WithoutprejudicetotheprovisionsofArticle4,
childrenunder15yearsofage(oradolescentsif
theyaresubjecttofull-timecompulsoryschool
attendanceortraining)shallnotbeemployedor
workatnightduringthe12consecutivehours
between8p.m.and8a.m.Adolescentsbetween
15and18yearsofageshallnotbeemployedor
workatnightduringthe8consecutivehours
between10p.m.and6a.m.'
Exceptionstothisbanonnightworkshouldapply
solelytoadolescents,subjecttothefollowingcon­
ditions:
1.undercompulsorytrainingagreements;
2.theadolescentsmustbesupervised.
However,thereremainsatotalbanonworkbyado­
lescentsbetweenmidnightand4a.m.2.9.Article7
ThisArticleshouldberedraftedasfollows:
'WithoutprejudicetotheprovisionsofDirectives
80/1107/EECand91/322/EEC,youngpersonsshall
notbeallowedtoperformactivitieswheretheevalu­
ationhasrevealedariskofexposuretoagentsand
proceduresenvisagedbyAnnexIIwhichwouldput
theyoungperson'ssafetyorphysicalormental
healthinjeopardy.'
Accountshouldalsobetakenoftheyoungperson's
moralwell-being.2.12.Article10
FollowingtheILOexample,theresttimeforchildren
under15yearsofageshouldbeatleast14consecutive
hoursduringeach24-hourperiod.Aresttimeof
12consecutivehoursforadolescentsbetween15and
18yearsofagewouldseemreasonable.2.10.Article8
2.10.1.TheCommissionmightnotethatthreehours
'lightwork'plusthenormalsixhoursoffull-time
compulsoryeducationperdayamountstoninehours,
onehourmorethantheceilingproposed.TheCom­
mitteeinanycaseconsidersasexcessivethethreehours2.13.Article12
Thereisaneedtodistinguishbetweena'restperiod'

30.11.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC313/73
assuch,afterfourandahalfhoursconsecutivework,
andapauseorinterruptionduringtheworkingperiod.
2.14.Article14
TheCommitteeconsidersthatthesanctionsenvisaged
fornon-compliance withtheDirectiverequirecloserdefinitionandEC-widescrutinyprocedures,taking
accountofArticles169and170oftheTreaty.
2.15.Article15
AdjustmentstoAnnexesIandIIshouldalsoinclude
revisionalongthelinessuggestedinpoint2.7above
(Article5).
DoneatBrussels,23September1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
APPENDIX
totheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
Thefollowingamendmentwhichreceivedatleastaquarterofthevotescast,wasdefeatedduringthe
discussion :
DeleteentireOpinionandsubstitute :
'1.TheCommitteefullysupportstheProposalfromtheCommissionfortheprotectionofyoungpeople
fromworkingandemploymentconditionswhichmightdamagetheirhealth,safetyanddevelopment .
2.TheCommitteebelievesittobeoftheutmostimportancethattheapplicationoftheproposedDirective
shouldnotinhibitestablishedpatternsofon-the-jobtrainingandapprenticeship foryoungpeoplewhohave
leftschoolnorrenderunlawfulpart-timeactivitiesofrelativelyshortdurationtraditionallyundertakenby
youngpeopleintheirownneighbourhoods forreward.Therangeanddiversityoftheseissuchasto
necessitatetheabilityforMemberStatestoprescribeappropriatederogationsfromtheoperativeprovisions
oftheproposedDirective,inaccordancewiththeprincipleofsubsidiarity .
3.AccordinglytheCommitteewelcomesthefactthattheproposedDirectiveisdraftedtoreflectthe
substanceofitsfifthandfifteenthprovisos.Thesecallforabalancetobestruckbetweenminimumprotection
provisionsandthenecessaryflexibilityofemploymentandworkingconditionsandsuggestthatderogations
fromthelimitationsimposedbytheDirectiveareessentialprovidedthattheydonotprejudicetheunderlying
protectiveprinciples.'
Resultofthevote
For:38,against:66,abstentions :2.