Czech Business Today
Czech businesses don’t agree with proposal on transparent and predictable working conditions
The European Parliament is currently discussing a proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union. The proposal, published in December 2017, addresses challenges brought by developments in the world of work, including growing flexibility of the labour market and, in particular, the increase in the number of ‘non-standard’ forms of employment, such as temporary employment, part-time and on call work, zero hours contracts, on demand and multi-party employment.
The draft directive also includes obligations to inform workers of the essential aspects of their work and a number of minimum rights for workers. For the first time, the European Commission has introduced a single EU worker definition in the proposal. Until now, this definition has been the responsibility of EU Member States. Also, the proposal lays down uniform maximum lengths for the probationary period. Czech businesses don’t agree with the proposal because it doesn’t respect the principle of subsidiarity and diverse conditions in Member States.
The draft report prepared by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee extends the scope of the directive, introduces an interpretation of the definition of a worker at the national level, and promotes a uniform EU definition. The report did not confirm an exception for short-term work (8 and less hours per month) at times of dynamic changes and shortcomings in the labour market. Extensive requirements for disclosure obligations contradict each other and create a great deal of legal uncertainty associated with administrative burdens. According to Czech businesses, the report does not reflect the need for flexibility in the current EU labour market, and therefore they hope that all the decision makers will take this into consideration during the next phase of the negotiations.
