Partnership for a new organisation of work. Green paper

In adopting the report by Mr Jan ANDERSSON (PSE, S) on the Commission Green Paper 'Partnership for a new organization of work' Parliament called on the Commission to continue its activities and to make proposals seeking to modernize the organization of work. It called for the creation of a real partnership for the reorganization of work involving all the parties concerned and in particular the two sides of industry. Special attention should be paid to the organization of work in SMUs based on partnership between the two sides of industry, the public authorities and research institutes. Parliament called on the Commission and the Member States to overhaul aid granted under Objective 4 of the structural funds (Adapt and Leonardo) and aid granted under the fifth framework programme for research and other Community initiatives with a view to promoting development in the organization of work and life-long learning. It called on the Commission to step up its efforts to promote an employment policy allowing employees in training and the unemployed to enter work through a rotation system. A revision of taxes on labour was also necessary. In this connection Parliament proposed an easing of labour charges (in particular for workers undergoing training) and increased taxes on companies involved in environmentally unfriendly activities. Parliament called on the Commission to make proposals setting minimum compulsory standards with regard to the information, consultation and participation of workers at all levels. It should also examine methods of ensuring that workers participated in the profits and results of the undertaking. Initiatives should also be taken with regard to social support infrastructure (child care, transport, etc.) in order to facilitate the adjustment of work organization. It called on the Commission to examine ways of reducing working hours. Parliament considered that it was the responsibility of the two sides of industry to set out the rules to be applied in the context of collective agreements. It considered however that the basic standards governing working time should be governed by national and European legislation. Any discussion of a new organization of work should go hand in hand with a reappraisal of women's and men's roles both on the labour market and in society. The parties concerned should take account of the family responsibilities of both men and women and of care of the sick and elderly. Special attention should also be paid to the situation of immigrant and ethnic minorities on the labour market. The reorganization of work should not produce new forms of discrimination against specific population groups, in particular women or people with disabilities for whom Parliament requested special measures to integrate them into the labour market. Lastly, Parliament warned against the creation of a two-tier society comprising an unskilled, unprotected and largely female workforce and a highly-skilled minority benefiting from continuous training. �