WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1792/98 by Anna KARAMANOU to the Commission. Equality of opportunity and precarious employment
Date: 1998-06-11
Institutions: European Parliament, KARAMANOU
Subjects: European social policy, anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment, framework agreement, job security, part-time employment, professional association, work contract













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91998E1792

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1792/98 by Anna KARAMANOU to the Commission. Equality of opportunity and precarious employment  


Official Journal C 013 , 18/01/1999 P. 0084 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1792/98by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission(11 June 1998)Subject: Equality of opportunity and precarious employmentAccording to recent research findings from Eurostat, part-time work and fixed-term contracts are steadily replacing permanent and full-time employment in all EU Member States. These findings indicate that young people and women are the groups most likely to have insecure jobs without any prospect of advancement or financial independence. Will the Commission say what measures it intends to take to reverse this unfavourable trend which is undermining equality of opportunity in employment?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission(3 August 1998)According to the Labour force survey 1996(1), 16,3 % of all employees were part-time workers. However, only 5,4 % of male employees were part-timers compared to 31,5 % of female workers. Securing better conditions, better rights and better status for part-time workers is thus of enormous importance from the equal opportunity perspective.The Commission considers that Council Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997 concerning the framework agreement on part-time work concluded by the Union of industrial and Employers' confederations of Europe (UNICE), Conseil européens des entreprises publiques (CEEP) and the European trade union confederation (ETUC)(2) has taken a significant step forward in this regard. The framework agreement aims firstly to prevent any form of discrimination against part-time workers and to improve the quality of part-time work, and secondly to facilitate the development of part-time work on a voluntary basis and in doing so to contribute to a flexible organisation of working time. The agreement requests Member States and the social partners to identify and review obstacles of a legal and administrative nature which may limit opportunities for part-time work and, where appropriate, to eliminate them.The social partners are currently involved in similar negotiations on the subject of fixed-term contracts and the Commission hopes that a framework agreement on this important subject will also be possible.The Commission also draws the attention of the Honourable Member to the many rulings already given by the Court of justice on the prohibition of discrimination against part-time workers as regards pay(3) or promotion(4).(1) Eurostat, Statistics in focus - Population and social conditions. 1997/8.(2) OJ L 14, 20.1.1998.(3) Case C-457/93, Kuratorium für Dialyse und Nierentransplantation e.V. contre Johanna Lewark, (1996), ECR I-243.(4) Case C-1/95, Gerster v. Freistaat Bayern, (1997) ECR I-5253.