Local and regional governments as employers

The Employers' Platform of CEMR (CEMR-EP) and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) have adopted a joint response to the European Commission's Green Paper on the modernisation of labour law.

 

The social partners representing the local and regional government sector welcome the debate on how labour law can support the Lisbon Strategy for growth with more and better jobs, however they stress that labour law is merely one of the many factors in the development of successful and cohesive societies.

 

They also urge the European Commission to take into account the various national and sectoral contexts and differences in collective bargaining arrangements, labour market, and institutional settings. Many aspects of labour law are primarily issues to be addressed at national level, including discussions on reforms of labour law. In this context, the role of the EU should focus on broad issues such as preventing unfair competition and social dumping between Member States, promoting initiatives against discrimination on the labour market, and strengthening social dialogue across Europe.

 

EPSU and CEMR-EP also underline the responsibility of the social partners in the local and regional government sectors to find the best ways to adapt the services they provide to the evolving needs and expectations of citizens.

 

They urge the European Commission to strengthen the involvement of the social partners in the follow-up to the Green Paper.

The full CEMR/EPSU joint response to the Green Paper on modernising labour law

 

The EU Commission's Green Paper on modernising labour law (available in 20 languages)