The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on the European Commission's proposal for a new directive to create more transparent and predictable working conditions, in particular for workers in non-standard forms of employment.

© Milenko Đilas

Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility welcomed the agreement with the following statement:

“Today we have reached an agreement that will provide 200 million workers in Europe with more transparent and predictable working conditions. We are modernising European labour law and adjusting it to the new world of work. This is a major milestone to make the European Pillar of Social Rights a reality for our citizens. Today's economy needs flexible labour contracts, but flexibility must be combined with minimum protection. With the agreement that is on the table today, we will offer those who are in flexible employment relations more transparency and predictability, especially the most vulnerable ones. Up to three million workers active in new forms of work, like workers on zero-hour contracts and domestic workers, will be covered which was not the case until now. Workers will benefit from more transparency by receiving key information on their working conditions from the start, and they will benefit from new rights leading to more predictable working conditions.

I would like to thank rapporteur Enrique Calvet Chambon and the shadow rapporteurs who negotiated on behalf of the European Parliament, and the Romanian Presidency on behalf of the Council. This agreement should now be confirmed quickly so that it can have a concrete, tangible, and positive effect on workers across the EU. This is what social Europe is all about.”

Next steps

The provisional agreement has been formally adopted by the European Parliament on 16 April. The Council is expected to formally adopt it in June 2019. This will end the legislative procedure.

Background

In an effort to reinforce Europe's social dimension, and as part of the roll-out of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Commission proposed the initiative on transparent and predictable working conditions in December 2017. Its aim is to:

• broaden and modernise existing obligations to inform each worker of his or her working conditions,
• create new minimum standards to ensure that all workers benefit from more transparency and predictability.