Chair’s Conclusions drafted in Cooperation with the two Following Presidencies Portugal and Slovenia

Informal Meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs Berlin, 18/20 January 2007

Together with its trio presidency partners Portugaland Slovenia, the Chair of the German EU Council Presidency draws the following conclusions from the discussion:

• Europe needs more and joint efforts to promote GOOD WORK. GOOD WORK means employee rights and participation, fair wages, protection of safety and health at work as well as a family friendly work organisation. Good and fair working conditions as well as an appropriate social protection are indispensable for the acceptance of the European Union by its citizens.
• The Ministers are of the opinion that greater flexibility on the labour market has to be reflected in adequate employee rights. This includes that employees can defend their participation rights with the help of collective bodies representing their interests. The Member Statesand the social partners bear great responsibility for preventing that more labour market flexibility will lead to a reduction of social protection for employees.
• Fair wages are an important characteristic of GOOD WORK. The Member Statesand the social partners are called upon to ensure that wages are set in a fair and adequate manner while safeguarding the national wage setting systems' characteristic features.
• Working conditions that promote lifelong learning and the chance for further occupational education, modern and staff-oriented leadership and work organisation as well as promoting and maintaining health and occupational qualifications are the key to corporate competitiveness and to the employability of especially older employees. Corporate prevention and rehabilitation programmes must become standard practice.
• Regular employment relationships are indispensable. They provide security and strengthen competitiveness in a sustainable manner. The Member States are called upon to strengthen standard working relationships in accordance with their national practice and to limit their circumvention by atypical employment relationships.
• New forms of employment types can facilitate reintegration into the labour market. They must, however, not be abused of for the purpose of excluding employees from their rights. They must not lead to discrimination and exclusion.
• Family friendly work organisation is an opportunity to improve equal rights, competitiveness, health protection, income security and coping with the demographic development. A family friendly work organisation must be developed consistently.
• Young people need security in their occupational development and perspectives for their own future and the foundation of a family. They need clearly defined framework conditions for a good start in working life.
• Wage replacement benefits and minimum security for job seekers are elements of a social Europe that has made the fight against poverty and social exclusion one of its central priorities. The persons concerned must receive help from a well balanced system of support programmes within the meaning of an activating labour market policy, in particular in view of threatening or actual unemployment. This approach combines support and demands.