At a time when the common principles on Flexicurity to be adopted by the Council on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs in December are being elaborated, the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) calls on the EU Employment Ministers to make Flexicurity deliver the social cohesion citizens are expecting.
“We are worried that the dominant approach of flexicurity does not integrate enough the social, employment and economic dimensions”, declared Fintan Farrell, EAPN Director. “This is particularly important given that, what is discussed under ‘flexicurity’ is a reform concerning our societies in their globality.”
He added: “Many people on the ground are experiencing employment-related aspects of poverty: in-work poverty and under-employment, unemployment, poor quality of work, difficulties to balance work and family life responsibilities, discrimination….Sometimes even two or more of these aspects come together. These realities must be addressed by the flexicurity approach in order to deliver social cohesion”.
EAPN therefore calls on the EU Employment Ministers to put the fight against poverty and social exclusion high amongst the objectives of flexicurity. This should go along with high levels of social protection and respect of fundamental rights – notably human dignity, the right to engage in work and the right to social assistance. Active labour market policies that are needed for a flexicurity delivering social inclusion should also be precisely defined.
For EAPN, no real security can be built without progressing on the road to ambitious social standards, including adequate minimum income distinct from employment status.
Last but not least, EAPN calls on the EU Employment Ministers to actively take on board the views of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion. “If flexicurity is supposed to have a positive outcome on social cohesion, it has to be also discussed with people concerned by poverty”, commented Fintan Farrell.
/ENDS
See:
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The EAPN response to the Commission Communication on Flexicurity: “The security we need cannot be summarized by secured transitions between jobs! It requires high levels of social protection, quality employment and respect of fundamental rights”
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The Commission Communication “Towards common principles of Flexicurity: more and better jobs through flexibility and security”
For further information, please contact Audrey Gueudet (Information Officer) or Fintan Farrell (Director), tel. +32 2 226 58 50 – fax. +32 2 226 58 69 – E-mail: team@eapn.skynet.be – Website: www.eapn.org
