Organisation of work: modernising. Follow-up of the Green paper on Partnership COM(1997)0128

The Committee approved with compromise amendments a proposal referring to the communication from the Commission on modernising the organisation of work. The rapporteur is Mr Sérgio RIBEIRO (EUL/NGL, P). The aim of the Commission's communication is to modernise the organisation of work to ensure a high level of competitiveness. It states that social partners must play a significant role in this process for they need to lay down common objectives and agree a common plan of action for legislation to ensure modernisation takes place. Amendments have been added regarding the use of Structural Funds to boost development in new growth sectors rather than preserve old structures and the need for an observatory to be set up for the development of industrial policy strategies. In order to combat the social consequences of modernisation and competitiveness, there are also amendments highlighting the need for the Community and its Member States to do more to encourage the substantial widening of the scope of lifelong learning, and for the Commission to submit proposals for measures enabling working and family life to combine with less difficulty. Indeed, certain amendments assert that workers' rights should not be ignored, and that the social consequences of an increase in the level of competitiveness must be taken into account. In other amendments itsays that, in addition to a high level of competitiveness, the aim of modernising the organisation of work should also be to increase the current level of employment, improve social security and to guarantee and protect employees' rights. In fact, one amendment states that employees must have a say when it comes to making changes to working times.�