Improving workers’ conditions

The European Parliament resumed business this week after the summer recess with a crammed agenda that will deal with a vast range of subjects and reports.

The Employment and Social Affairs Committee will continue to concentrate on the generation of better jobs that are not only sustainable but also greener. The target is to achieve a solid framework where, by 2011, all member states will have the proper guidelines and tools to be able to come up with these kinds of working environments. This will consist of the re-skilling of present workers and specialised training for those who are first-time employees, with special emphasis on those under the age of 25.

In this regard, many MEPs sitting on the committee agree that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund should be used to fund the re-skilling process. Further than that, I think we should give proper incentives to companies that join this programme to continue encouraging greener technologies.

The committee will also be concentrating on regularisation and proper legislation governing jobs that do not necessarily fit in the 40-hour week framework. These in­clude part-time jobs, casual and temporary work and fixed term contracts. The committee’s aim is to give the workers in this kind of employment equal rights to those considered as full-time workers as the atypical kind of workers have been deprived of such rights for many years.

It is high time to raise the minimum standards of employment and to give every worker, regardless of employment status, equal rights and equal opportunities. In this sense, minorities will also be targeted in order to reduce the poverty level in Europe by 25 per cent. This is by no means an easy task and the full cooperation and coordination of the national governments, training and employment agencies and the companies that employ such workers are needed to complement the funding programme and the expert advice the European Union will offer to member states.

Another important document, which will be discussed shortly in the Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs, is a draft report making recommendations to the Council on improving the economic governance and stability framework in the EU with particular emphasis on the eurozone. This report has been drafted in order to try and re-adjust the governance model that, due to the economic, financial and social crises, has not worked as effectively as programmed. In fact, imbalances have grown during the last years.

The committee’s recommendations will seek to strengthen the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact while enhancing economic governance in the eurozone.

The report also argues favourably on the establishment of a strong mechanism that will prevent excessive debt in the eurozone.

The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has asked for the opinion of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee on several issues mentioned in the report and I have been entrusted to give the committee’s opinion in this regard.

Short-term measures to modify the mechanisms of economic policy coordination will be introduced to ensure the correct function of the Economic and Monetary Union. The procedures in operation have not proven to be effective enough and other measures will be explored. The opinion will be included in the main report that will be voted upon in plenary later on this year.

Besides the vast array of reports by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee that aim to improve the working conditions and generate more jobs, I will also be working on a report that aims to amend the present directive on the VAT rate.

Bearing in mind the present economic crisis, we aim to keep the minimum rate of VAT at 15 per cent for the coming five years. This will help businesses recuperate and will give more time for a long-term strategy regarding standardised VAT rates to be developed.

In addition, the report also aims to cut the administrative burdens as much as possible and give businesses more breathing space. This report should be in line with the Green paper the Commission has pledged to issue in the near future.

The involvement in dealing with these and other reports and the on-going work in the European Parliament by my colleagues and myself highlight the importance of Malta’s decision to join the EU. Not only are we present at the discussion table but our contribution has become an important tool to give citizens the best standard of living and working conditions possible.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.