Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Communication from the Commission on the social and labour market dimension of the information society "People First - The Next Steps"` (98/C 129/06)

On 29 July 1997 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned communication.

The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 12 February 1998. The rapporteur was Mr Pellarini.

At its 352nd plenary session (meeting of 26 February 1998), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 97 votes to 9.

1. Introduction

1.1. Further to its task of monitoring, analysing and providing guidance on the impact and problems of the information society, the Commission has published a new document focusing principally on its social dimension and effects on the labour market.

1.2. The starting points are the 1994 Action Plan on Europe's way to the information society and the 1996 Green Paper on Living and working in the information society: People first.

Following the path set out in this basic document the Communication sets the following main purposes:

- to increase awareness of the implications of the information society;

- to build an information society dimension into social policies and actions;

- to identify specific actions to maximize the contribution of the information society to promoting employment and social inclusion.

1.3. In an initial section, the Commission emphasizes the need to facilitate access to the information society, which 'must be based on the principles of equal opportunities, participation and integration of all`.

Infrastructures and services 'should be available at affordable prices`; the concepts of 'universal service` and 'public access` need to be examined in greater detail and looked at dynamically; software and hardware must be increasingly user-friendly; social groups which are largely uninvolved and uninformed must be made aware of the opportunities offered by the new technologies, bringing them into an on-going learning process.

1.4. Implementing the information society in public services can sustain and develop democratic life by encouraging participation and open government. In this regard, the Commission announces that it is preparing a Green Paper on Access to and exploitation of public sector information.

1.5. Significant results may be achieved even in purely social areas such as policies for equal opportunities or enhancing the quality of life and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

1.6. A second section focuses on changes in the organization of work and the labour market. With the 'People First` Green Paper, the Commission had already called for an in-depth debate on the modernization of working life.

Far-reaching changes in working methods have occurred in recent years and are continuing, mostly affecting the balance between flexibility and security.

1.7. On the one hand, new ways of organizing work can contribute significantly to making the economy more competitive, as shown in the Green Paper on Partnership for a new organization of work: this is of fundamental importance in preparing Europe to take an active part in the growing globalization of production and markets.

1.8. On the other, the Commission's consultation process has shown that 'employees and trade unions are concerned that the introduction of ICT (information and communications technologies) and new forms of work organization might result in greater job insecurity and lower labour standards` ().

1.9. Special attention is given to forms of teleworking, which is still not as widespread as expected, despite a broadly-based expression of interest on the part of workers.

1.10. The social dialogue too is affected by the new technologies, since 'the social partners no longer operate within traditional collective bargaining systems`, as a result of the increasing flexibility of the organization of work and the globalization of markets and production ().

1.11. Lastly, a further section deals with the opportunities, in terms of jobs, that ICT can offer.

1.12. The telecommunications liberalization process may generate new jobs, which 'will depend on the pace of that process and on the speed of diffusion of the technologies` (paragraph 42).

Most new jobs in Europe are created by software and computer service SMEs. However, problems exist regarding inadequate skill levels and the need for on-going and prompt renewal of know-how.

1.13. Regional and local authorities have an important part to play in supporting SMEs, helping them to maximize their potential.

1.14. The social economy may also fulfil a significant role, using the new technologies to assist particularly disadvantaged groups to break down social exclusion.

1.15. Lastly, public employment services will find ICT the most efficient and fastest means of matching job seekers with vacancies.

1.16. The conclusion reached in the document is that the social dimension should be closely integrated into Member States' information society development strategies.

2. General comments

2.1. In its opinion on the Communication from the Commission on Europe at the forefront of the global information society: rolling action plan, the Committee welcomed 'the sustained efforts undertaken by the Commission and all the EU bodies` ().

2.2. Given the complex nature of the questions and problems raised, the present Communication unquestionably confirms the objective importance of the new technological revolution, which is bringing far-reaching changes to all aspects of economic, social and cultural life.

2.3. The scale of the opportunities is matched by the risks of exclusion for major sectors of the population.

2.4. This is the not the first time that the Commission has raised the question of the social, and in particular employment, effects of the information society, but the present Communication certainly represents a qualitative leap forward in its approach to complex issues of social cohesion and the relationship between employment and the new technologies.

2.5. Firstly, it is to be welcomed that instead of proposing individual measures which might be effective to varying degrees on different aspects, a genuine strategy is put forward committing the Union over the coming years not only at the purely financial level, but also at the level of more general economic, social and cultural policy options.

2.6. The Committee also pointed this out in its above-mentioned opinion on the rolling action plan, concluding that the process of building the information society 'will involve decisions that will have to be taken as part of the overall blueprint rather than separately, bearing in mind their legal, organizational, economic, social and cultural implications` ().

2.7. The 'People First` dimension of this document is clearly visible in that the Communication not only 'sets out the Commission's strategy to further develop the social dimension of the information society`, but specific proposals are made at the end of each point discussed. Checks will, of course, have to be made on their actual implementation, but they already represent a valuable framework for Commission commitments over the next few years.

2.8. Each section of the Communication, dealing with the major individual aspects of the information society in social terms, lists official procedures, research and analysis documents, and specific actions to promote debate or disseminate information.

2.9. More substantial questions, however, are also discussed. It is, for example, significant that the Commission declares its wish to 'review`, by means of the appropriate checks and adjustments, fundamental choices such as the question of the 'scope, quality, level and affordability of universal service by January 1st, 1998`, with a view to ensuring accessibility for all.

2.10. At the level of promoting democratic participation, the Commission thus accepts the European Parliament's proposal to draw up a communication and information strategy to facilitate access to the institutions for the public and organizations.

2.11. Turning to the problem of employment, which is the central core of the Communication, there is clearly an awareness that the profound changes caused by ICT must be closely monitored and analysed, so as to ensure, firstly, enhanced company performance and secondly, respect for workers' rights.

2.12. The decision to develop a European network to boost RTD and disseminate good practice in new forms of work and production organization is therefore to be welcomed. Research and studies are also to be carried out under the framework programmes for research and technological development and the Action Plan for innovation.

2.13. Regarding teleworking in particular, there is a willingness to tackle the question of its legal definition and to launch consultations with the social partners on the advisability of Community action to protect teleworkers.

2.14. Equally important is the Commission's insistence on the need for employment, the relation between flexibility and social security and working conditions to be considered among the future priorities for social dialogue, which it will be possible to carry forward thanks, in part, to the opportunities provided by ICT.

2.15. Concerning the potential for new jobs, the various aspects of the 'dematerialization` of the economy need to be looked at more closely. The Commission wishes to do this under the Fifth RTD Framework Programme, also monitoring real trends and studying Eurostat and ESIS statistical data on them.

2.16. Special attention focuses on the future contribution to job creation of the dissemination of the new technologies in local development. As the Committee has pointed out on several occasions, this is one of the economic sectors which should be most exploited in coming years, as it constitutes a major source of new employment. Implementing the new technologies can strengthen and accelerate this possibility.

2.17. The structural problem of the gap between the demand by business for high-level and up-to-date qualifications and largely inadequate vocational training must, however, be faced. A survey quoted in the Communication reveals that 52 % of job seekers have no vocational qualifications whatsoever, of whom only a very small minority are offered real opportunities for training.

2.18. The Commission therefore declares that it 'will maintain, in the context of the Agenda 2000 proposals, a strong commitment to improving human resource development systems so as to anticipate economic and social change, maintain employability and harness the employment potential of the information society` (paragraph 48).

3. Universal service

3.1. The Committee considers the Commission's work in defining the general information society strategy to be well directed, but feels that it could be further developed in greater detail, particularly regarding the universal service issue.

3.2. In this document, the Commission displays a new and more problematic attitude concerning the question of universal service. The Committee has repeatedly expressed its disquiet at an overly laissez-faire approach to this delicate and fundamental issue. The Commission's caution appears to bear out the Committee's approach and its repeated requests.

3.3. Several aspects are to be considered:

- the real possibility that access of public interest to the information society will be guaranteed;

- the guarantee of no exclusions or restrictions for those living in remote and rural areas or for social disadvantaged groups;

- mass dissemination of information society technologies and know-how.

3.4. The primary question is that of public interest access. The Committee agrees with the Commission when it urges Member States 'to ensure that access is a key objective of their information society objectives`, and would also draw attention to the recommendation of the High Level Expert Group to the effect that, in order to avoid exclusion and preserve regional cohesion, the existing concept of universal service should be shifted in the direction of the 'obligation of universality to the educational, cultural, medical, social and economic institutions of local communities` ().

3.5. In this regard, the Committee would repeat its views as expressed in the recent opinion on cohesion and the information society () and, in particular, calls upon the Commission to:

- spell out which services should be covered by the concept of universal service: obviously, this can no longer be limited simply to the telephone service, but must include more developed services such as Internet access;

- identify the locations and public institutions where such services should be available to all;

- specify funding and pricing methods providing effective access; for example, a universal service fund with contributions from companies managing telecom services.

3.6. These problems are of special importance for remote and rural areas and, more generally, for less developed regions.

The Commission is concerned that all the indicators for network and service installation () unambiguously show that although progress is undoubtedly being made, the technology gap could widen over the next few years.

The Member States and the Commission will need to take great care that the liberalization process does not lead to greater penalization, in view of the higher costs and lower profits which might discourage private operators from investing in these areas.

The new concept of a universal service obligation should provide access for all, at affordable prices, to advanced telecom services.

3.7. The Committee supports the Commission's efforts to increase the use of these new services by SMEs in disadvantaged areas, since this boosts economic and social cohesion, stimulates job creation and enhances the overall competitiveness of the regions concerned.

The WOLF pilot projects and Implace and Marsource initiatives should be reinforced and extended.

3.8. It would also be advisable for the Commission to carry out annual surveys of information society developments in Europe from the economic and social viewpoint, so as to increase awareness and provide a basis for assessment ().

4. Education and continuing training

4.1. A real information society for all means widespread use of new services and universal 'literacy`, as part of a shift from the information to the learning society.

4.2. Schools must take a leading role here.

The Committee would repeat its comments in an earlier opinion () that information and communications technologies should be built into all teaching systems and stages of education.

4.3. Governments in a number of Member States have set up large-scale information plans at every stage of education, or are in the process of doing so.

The target of 'a computer in every classroom` should be pursued by all Member States, and the Commission must work to this end via programmes and initiatives supporting and encouraging government efforts, educational experiments and exchanges of experience.

Special attention should be given to training and refresher courses for teachers, offering them the opportunity to bring the use of the new ICT into their teaching.

4.4. The establishment of a network connecting schools in all the Member States might be of great value in encouraging this type of cultural movement, thereby creating a 'learning network`.

4.5. The Committee would take up the HLEG's proposal to create a European Learning Agency and Network (ELAN) to promote and disseminate know-how on leading-edge ICT applications in sectors of particular interest for education and training throughout Europe.

4.6. A real commitment to bringing the information society into schools would also boost its introduction among families.

4.7. While access to the information society is, for the younger generations, virtually taken for granted, adults - and particularly the elderly - may be largely excluded.

The HLEG argues that 'it is essential to view the information society as a learning society` and that 'in Europe the incentives to invest in such lifelong learning activities are insufficient` ().

4.8. The Committee backs the Commission's plan to promote awareness-building initiatives for those sectors of the adult population currently furthest removed from the information society, or most at risk of being excluded from it, such as the unemployed, women and the elderly.

4.9. The risk of obsolescence has spread from machines to cover qualifications and people too. Many individuals are thrown out of the employment cycle and unable to get back into the labour market because they cannot keep up with technological changes and the necessary skills, which demand much greater flexibility and capacity for change than in the past.

Public and private training systems must therefore provide people with opportunities to update their knowledge and qualifications on the basis of closer knowledge of ICT, which now affect all production and commercial sectors.

4.10. The Committee supports the Commission's intention to confirm the feasibility of cognitive resource centres, where people at risk of exclusion can have access to basic 'literacy` and information society technologies in order to acquire the necessary skills.

4.11. The push for genuine access for all to the information society must be one of the priorities in developing a European information society model. One of the features of such a model should be the ability to lessen social exclusion and create new opportunities for disadvantaged groups. This is of special importance at a point in time when the welfare systems of all the Member States are experiencing radical change.

5. Democracy and public services

5.1. An information society for all will also have an important impact on democratic life, as it will provide new opportunities for citizens to be informed and to participate, and enable administrative procedures to be better monitored and more transparent.

5.2. The Committee welcomes the Commission's intention to draw up a communication on an information strategy facilitating access to institutions by the general public and organizations.

The Committee believes that the use of ICT should be developed in the Member States: one reason would be to serve as a means of consulting citizens on issues of common concern, particularly in local communities (e.g. quality of life in cities, government planning priorities, economic and tax options, transport, opening hours of public institutions and private companies, social and cultural issues, etc.).

ICT could provide a direct and permanent link between the public authorities and the general public, enabling an intense exchange of information to take place.

5.3. The Committee also calls on the Commission to envisage energetic awareness-building measures for Member State citizens and central and local authorities concerning sources of telematic information (via Internet) on the European institutions. National or regional databases and Internet sites on European questions could be particularly valuable, contributing to greater involvement of all in European aid and financing and all other Community initiatives.

5.4. The public authorities, together with schools, could become the driving force behind the information society for all by providing opportunities to gain the necessary know-how and put it into practice.

5.5. The Committee plans to assess the matter in more detail, partly on the basis of a communication to be issued by the Commission in the forthcoming months subsequent to the debate on the Green Paper on exploiting Europe's public sector information.

5.6. In the meantime, the Committee emphasizes that greater use of ICT in the public services would also have a significant effect on the quality of the services themselves, particularly by providing remote access - this cuts waiting times and enables people with mobility difficulties to have independent access.

The public authorities could offer new opportunities to citizens in many fields, from registry office and certification services to health or cultural departments, through ICT.

5.7. The Committee particularly appreciates the Commission's guidelines for promoting awareness of the potential of ICT to improve health systems and its plan to develop a Community-side network for sharing epidemiological data and disseminating European public health programmes.

6. Disabled people

6.1. An information society which is genuinely for all must also deliver a better quality of life and new employment opportunities to the disabled.

ICT make available technologies and ways of using the various services capable of satisfying these demands.

6.2. The Committee calls, as does the Commission, for the problems of disabled people in accessing the information society to be included among the future priorities of the universal service review, specifically by determining which services should be defined as universal.

6.3. The Committee also feels that the Commission should alert the Member States to the need to assist in equipping disabled people with basic and advanced services.

The Commission could sponsor, or possibly finance, pilot ICT training programmes specifically aimed at the disabled.

6.4. The spread of telework should facilitate job seeking, particularly for people with serious motor disabilities, although it should not be allowed to lead to isolation.

6.5. Lastly, closer cooperation between industry and associations for the disabled should be sought, in order to increase hardware accessibility and initiate pilot software projects aimed primarily at individuals who have difficulty communicating.

7. Telework

7.1. Telework merits particular attention: over recent years, it has come to be seen - although with widely differing judgements - as one of the most important options arising from the new information society.

7.2. The way work is now organized in all the more advanced countries allows for many flexible work approaches, including teleworking.

This might be seen as a further opportunity for workers, or as putting them in a substantially weaker, insecure situation.

7.3. Quite apart from technical and organizational assessments, the social security, legal and health and safety aspects are of special importance and should be examined in greater depth if fresh solutions are to be found.

7.4. The status of such workers is currently under discussion in virtually all Member States, but there also needs to be a Community input into the definition of this status.

No Member State presently possesses any specific and coherently structured legislation in this field.

It is appropriate that in point III.3 of the Communication the Commission specifically addresses this point, with a view to creating an adequate framework for teleworking.

7.5. The Committee welcomes the Commission's initiative of consulting with the social partners to examine the possibility of Community action on the legal and social protection of teleworkers.

The Committee will certainly take part in this debate, in whatever form the appropriate authorities ultimately decide.

As suggested by the HLEG, the convention and recommendation on the protection of homeworkers, adopted by the 1995 International Labour Conference, along with the EU Commission's proposed directive on atypical work (), could serve as European guidelines.

7.6. The Committee proposes that the Commission encourage the Member State social partners to include specific clauses on teleworking in new national employment category agreements.

The Commission could also record and make known good collective bargaining practices and hands-on experience and offer these to the social partners as part of the social dialogue.

7.7. Lastly, the Committee suggests that 'telecottage` initiatives, or community teleservice centres, be taken up on a widespread basis. They could also serve as a focal point for training and information activities.

As well as helping those at serious risk of exclusion - such as the long-term unemployed, who have no income to invest in hardware - to find jobs in teleworking, telecottages also stimulate greater socialization, averting the danger of isolation inherent in telework.

8. Conclusions and proposals

8.1. The Committee supports the Commission's strategy to facilitate access to the information society.

This strategy should be based on the principles of equality of opportunities and the participation and inclusion of all.

8.2. In practice, this means building an information society dimension into policies and social initiatives, promoting employment and social inclusion.

More specifically, the Committee recommends that all currently planned or future actions should, as the Commission itself envisages, provide 'a real opportunity to promote gender equality` (), with the active involvement of women in producing information and in communication.

8.3. The Committee calls on the Commission to consider how to extend universal service to cover more advanced services (such as Internet), with easy access and at moderate cost, as well as the basic service.

8.4. The Committee would draw attention to the proposals of the HLEG to the effect that in order to avoid exclusion and preserve regional cohesion, universal service should include facilitated access to the information society for the educational, cultural, medical, social and economic institutions of local communities.

8.5. The Committee stresses that ICT should be built into all teaching systems and stages of education.

Special attention should be given to training and refresher courses for teachers, offering them the opportunity to bring the use of the new ICT into their teaching.

8.6. The Committee backs the Commission's plan to promote awareness-building initiatives, as part of a continuing training approach, for those sectors of the adult population currently furthest removed from the information society, or most at risk of being excluded from it, such as the unemployed, women and the elderly.

8.7. The Committee believes that the central and local public authorities, together with schools, could become the driving force behind the information society. Greater use of ICT in the public services would also have a significant effect on the quality of the services themselves, offering new opportunities and services to citizens, including in the sphere of employment.

8.8. An information society which is genuinely for all must offer an enhanced quality of life and new employment opportunities for people with disabilities too.

The Committee endorses the Commission's approach of including the problems of disabled people in accessing the information society among the priorities of the universal service review.

8.9. The Committee welcomes the Commission's initiative of consulting with the social partners to examine the possibility of Community action on the legal and social protection of teleworkers providing a clearer definition of health and safety issues in particular.

8.10. The actions mentioned above are intended to furnish a practical response to the problems posed by ICT and to spread the potential offered by the information society as widely as possible.

A fundamental question remains, which the Commission document and all its predecessors touch upon only indirectly, but which the Committee is convinced must be tackled through specific actions: how to change the information society's image.

8.11. Since its first appearance on the production and commercial scene, the information society has been seen by many as a factor in job losses.

But in recent years, while millions of jobs have certainly vanished as a result of automation and telecommunications, others have been created in hardware and software production and the new openings provided by ICT in different production and commercial sectors.

8.12. A positive image of the information society is, however, slow in making headway.

The Commission's action via recent documents () has undoubtedly helped to shift the debate towards the positive aspects of the information society, including employment.

This Communication with its 'people first` and labour market dimension themes clearly follows in this direction, and should be fully exploited.

8.13. The Committee therefore supports the Commission's efforts to include the social dimension when implementing information society policies, and wishes to take positive steps itself in this direction.

These information initiatives should be targeted principally at young people, the long-term unemployed and women: in many regions, it is they who experience the unemployment crisis most directly.

8.14. Lastly, the Committee believes that this strategy of focusing on the social dimension and implementing practical actions to make the most of the employment and social integration opportunities may help create a more positive image of the information society.

Brussels, 26 February 1998.

The President of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS

() Communication on the Social and Labour Market Dimension of the Information Society, COM(97)390 final, point 26.

() Communication on the Social and Labour Market Dimension of the Information Society, COM(97) 390 final, point 32.

() OJ C 296, 29.9.1997, p. 13.

() Final policy report of the HLEG (High Level Expert Group) 'Building the European information society for us all`, April 1997, Recommendation 10a.

() OJ C 355, 21.1.1997, opinion on cohesion and the information society (rapporteur: Dame Jocelyn Barrow), 1 October 1997.

() See the statistical annex to the Communication on cohesion and the information society, op. cit.

() The only research presently available is the study drawn up by Nexus et al in late 1995: this data must be considered to be largely out of date, since changes in the information society sphere are faster than in any other field of technology. The document may therefore provide a picture which no longer reflects a rapidly-changing situation.

() Opinion on the Green Paper on living and working in the information society (rapporteur: Mr Burnel), OJ C 206, 7.7.1997.

() HLEG policy report, op. cit; the report also quotes the Delors report 'Learning: The Treasure Within`, Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century, UNESCO, 1996.

() COM(90) 228 final - SYN 280 and SYN 281.

() COM(97) 390 final, point 18.

() From the White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness, Employment, op. cit, to those on cohesion in the information society, people first, etc.

APPENDIX to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee

The following amendment, while receiving more than a quarter of the votes cast, was rejected during the course of the discussion.

Point 7.5

Delete last sentence giving a reference to the convention and recommendation on the protection of homeworkers, adopted by the 1995 ILO Conference, as a potential model for European guidelines.

Reason

The concept of 'Homeworkers` is limited to the place where you perform your work. Telework is much broader.

The employers opposed as a group a convention on homework and didn't participate in the discussions. Few governments have ratified the convention. The reference should therefore be deleted.

Result of the vote

For: 34, against: 71, abstentions: 3.