THE EU Social Affairs Commissioner, Mr Padraig Flynn, has warned that if Europe's social partners fail to agree minimum standards for part time and contract workers, he will act unilaterally to implement specific protections within a year.
During a live video conference between Mr Flynn in Brussels and members, of the ICTU executive in Dublin yesterday, he said that, in some member states, up to 32 per cent of workers were employed on a part time basis. Over 80 per cent of these were women and more than 8 per cent of Europe's workforce was on fixed term contracts, he said.
Statistics from 1994 showed an increase of 20 percent since 1987 in part time workers in the Community, Mr Flynn added.
The European Trade Union Congress, to which the ICTU is affiliated, is in negotiations with UNICE, the employers organisation, to agreed basic minimum standards for atypical workers".
According to Mr Flynn, even if the social partners fail to agree at European level, he was committed to taking action that would bring proposals before the Council of Ministers. "It will lead to a European position, one way or the other," Mr Flynn said.
Welcoming the Commissioner's comments, Ms Patricia O'Donovan of ICTU said the issue of rights for atypical workers was critical to the future of any renewal of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
Mr Flynn also told, the conference he believed Britain would eventually join the European Monetary Union "on the same terms as those who join on the first day". Ireland was in line to join and "it must be in our best interests to join on day one".
In an overview of the economic outlook "as seen by the Commission", Mr Flynn said the fundamental indications were "sound" and signalled improvement in the second half of 1996. Employment was the greatest casualty of the stagnation, in Euro pee and there were worries a bout maintaining the social net" as welfare spending increased in every state.
"We do believe that recovery is still on the cards . . . We look forward to an increase in economic development," he added.
The Irish economy was regarded as "the bright star" in Europe with high growth and output.